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Ottawa Singer-Songwriter Danah-Lee Advocates For Queer Pride With Anthemic “Make Some Room”

Coming off her Music Educator of the Year win at the Ottawa Capital Music Awards, Contemporary Christian singer-songwriter and producer Danah-Lee has released her newest single, “Make Some Room,” an anthemic track, containing lyrics that enforce activism and are backed by beautiful symphonies, upbeat percussion, and prominent bass guitar.

A song that advocates for queer acceptance and pride, Danah-Lee says the single represents an effort to utilize her Christian faith to push for LGBTQ+ rights. Through her artistry, the Canadian singer-songwriter always strives to balance and express both her Christian and her queer identities.

Regarding “Make Some Room,” she says, “It feels like the direction of my music is shifting to social justice and equality for those of us in the queer community. There is still such a lack of awareness and understanding of what it is like to be part of a marginalized group. When you come from a place of privilege, it is difficult to fathom what it might be like to walk in the shoes of those who are traditionally considered marginalized.”

Despite the ridicule and harsh treatment that people in the LGBTQ+ may face, Danah-Lee’s latest musical release emphasizes the importance of queer pride in our world today.

“My song focuses on the importance of Pride because of these factors,” she says. “Pride symbolizes our right to live openly; to be seen and validated. For decades, queer people were persecuted, and we were considered illegal. We could be jailed just being ourselves or loving who we love. That law was overturned only 55 years ago – and we refuse to go backwards. That’s why we need pride!”

With five solo albums, two collaboration albums and an extensive background in studying music, Danah-Lee has proven herself to be a powerful force within the world of Canadian music. After receiving her music degree from Taylor University College and Seminary, Danah-Lee established herself as a prominent songwriter within the Christian and Contemporary music scenes, all while fiercely expressing her identity as a queer artist. This year she received Ottawa’s Capital Music Awards “Music Educator of the Year” award, and she has won the Reader’s Choice Award for Best Music Instructor from 2019 to 2023. She also received nominations for Louder Than the Music’s “Christian Album of the Year” (2020) and Ottawa’s Capital Music Awards “The Impact Award” (2021) and Music Educator of the Year just this week.

After facing discrimination from the church throughout her youth due to her queer identity, Danah-Lee knew she wanted to provide a platform and help others through music. Not only has she established herself as a musical artist, but Danah-Lee also is an entrepreneur, author, speaker, church music leader and music educator. As a music director for the church, Danah-Lee has established the Rainbow Worship Service in the Ottawa Valley, a first-of-its-kind service designed to create a spiritual safe space for those who have been marginalized by the church and may suffer from religious trauma.

Throughout her musical career, Danah-Lee has retained her devout faith as well as her pride, and her newest single “Make Some Room” shows the songstress like never before as she explicitly advocates for the importance of queer pride, acceptance, and advocacy.

My Next Read: “Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell” by Ann Powers

Celebrated NPR music critic Ann Powers explores the life and career of Joni Mitchell in a lyrical style as fascinating and ethereal as the songs of the artist herself.

“What you are about to read is not a standard account of the life and work of Joni Mitchell. Instead, it’s a tale of long journeying through a life that changed popular music: of a homesick wanderer forging ahead on routes of her own invention, and of me on her trail, heading toward the ringing of her voice.” —From the introduction

For decades, Joni Mitchell’s life and music have enraptured listeners. One of the most celebrated artists of her generation, Mitchell has inspired countless musicians—from peers like James Taylor, to inheritors like Prince and Brandi Carlile—and authors, who have dissected her music and her life in their writing. At the same time, Mitchell has always been a force beckoning us still closer, as—with the other arm—she pushes us away. Given this, music critic Ann Powers wondered if there was another way to draw insights from the life of this singular musician who never stops moving, never stops experimenting.

In Traveling, Powers seeks to understand Mitchell through her myriad journeys. Through extensive interviews with Mitchell’s peers and deep archival research, she takes readers to rural Canada, mapping the singer’s childhood battle with polio. She charts the course of Mitchell’s musical evolution, ranging from early folk to jazz fusion to experimentation with pop synthetics. She follows the winding road of Mitchell’s collaborations with other greats, and the loves that emerged along the way, all the way through to the remarkable return of Mitchell to music-making after the 2015 aneurysm that nearly took her life.

Along this journey, Powers’ wide-ranging musings on the artist’s life and career reconsider the biographer’s role and the way it twines against the reality of a fan. In doing so, Traveling illustrates the shifting nature of biography, and the ultimate contradiction of celebrity: that an icon cannot truly, completely be known to a fan.

Kaleidoscopic in scope, and intimate in its detail, Traveling is a fresh and fascinating addition to the Joni Mitchell canon, written by a biographer in full command of her gifts who asks as much of herself as of her subject.

Metallica Shreds Through Fortnite History as First Band to Command Center Stage Across the Entire Platform

Having played every continent in the physical world, Metallica sets its sights on new frontiers with events across Fortnite this month.

Metallica becomes the first band to take center stage across all Fortnite experiences, with Metallica-themed gameplay coming to Fortnite Festival, Battle Royale, LEGO Fortnite, Rocket Racing and more starting tomorrow, June 13. Plus, as part of an all new music experience inside of Fortnite, Metallica: Fuel. Fire. Fury. will bring a series of in-game concert performances to players only on June 22 and June 23.

Completely customized and built from the ground up using Unreal Editor for Fortnite by technology studio Magnopus, Metallica: Fuel. Fire. Fury. is a brand-new playable concert that will journey through six of Metallica’s fan-favorite songs with themed gameplay that complements the intensity of a Metallica live show. This immersive music experience will have six different showtimes across two days:

Saturday, June 22, 2024
• 2 PM ET
• 5 PM ET
• 11 PM ET
Sunday, June 23, 2024
• 10 AM ET
• 2 PM ET
• 5 PM ET

The above times will be the only chance to experience the concert live.

James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, and Robert Trujillo of Metallica are the icons of Fortnite Festival Season 4, where fans can shred along with Metallica on classics including “Enter Sandman,” “Ride the Lightning,” and “Master of Puppets.”

Metallica’s not just visiting Fortnite to perform—they’re here to battle. This new season of Fortnite Festival introduces the Battle Stage, a new competitive way to play the rhythm music game, and will be available even after the Metallica collaboration concludes.

Fortnite Festival’s Battle Stage will see 16 players in a match, all will play from the same four-song setlist, and one will emerge victorious.

Season 4 starts tomorrow and ends August 16, 2024 at 12 AM ET. For more info on Season 4, the “player-vs-player” (PvP) Battle Stage, check out the Fortnite Festival blog.

Metallica themed-gameplay is also coming to additional Fortnite games: Battle Royale, LEGO Fortnite, and Rocket Racing. For more information on the Metallica x Fortnite collaboration, visit the blog.

collaboration, visit the blog.How to Jump Into Fortnite
●      Download Fortnite for free on PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, Android, PC.
●      Fortnite is also available on cloud-based streaming services. Learn how to access any of these options here.
●      Once in the Fortnite Lobby, select the game you’d like to play. For starters:
○ “Fortnite Battle Royale” for the classic, action-packed shooter
○ “Fortnite Festival – Main Stage” for rhythm-based gameplay
○ “Fortnite Festival – Battle Stage” for competitive, player-vs-player music gameplay
○ “LEGO Fortnite” for a survival crafting LEGO adventure
○ “Rocket Racing” to drift, fly, and boost in a supersonic arcade racer

Sam Smith Celebrates 10 Years Of Their “In The Lonely Hour” With 10th Anniversary Edition Out August 2

GRAMMY, BRIT, Golden Globe and Academy Award winning artist Sam Smith marks a decade of their multi-platinum debut ‘In the Lonely Hour’.

Released in 2014 ‘In the Lonely Hour’ was the first of many incredible milestones and global successes that Sam would achieve over the course of their standout career. The GRAMMY award winning, now 6 x RIAA Platinum Certified album became the biggest selling debut album of the decade. The album includes the breakthrough hit “Stay with Me” (certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2020), “I’m Not the Only One” (7xPlatinum), “Lay Me Down” (5xPlatinum) and the Platinum-certified “Money on My Mind” and “Like I Can.”

Available for pre-order HERE, all versions of this commemorative edition will include the album’s original 10 songs plus an exclusive new track “Little Sailor.” A total of 25 tracks will appear on The Collector’s Edition 4 LP and the Standard Double CD, including live versions of the album’s original songs.

Alongside the celebration, there will be a host of activations around ‘The Pink House’, an overarching new brand Sam has created, inspired by the home they grew up in. Under the roof of ‘The Pink House’ they are in the process of building a charitable foundation intended to provide support for people within the LGBTQIA+ community, in addition to this, on 13th June they will be premiering their eponymous podcast, each episode of ‘The Pink House’ will hear from Sam as they sit down with an amazing cast of friends and queer cultural icons, including guests Elliot Page, Laverne Cox, Gloria Estefan, to share stories of belonging, chosen families, and the journeys we take to become who we’re destined to be. ‘The Pink House’ in all its guises is designed to help build a better, safer world for all. The first two episodes of ‘The Pink House’’ will be available Thursday, June 13th on all major podcast platforms, with new episodes released weekly. Listen to the trailer HERE.

Sam Smith is one of the most celebrated musical artists to emerge in recent history. A five-time GRAMMY winner, Sam holds two Guinness World Records– for the most consecutive weeks in the U.K .Top 10 Album Chart (for their 2014 debut, “In The Lonely Hour”) and for having the first James Bond Theme to reach No.1 on the U.K. charts (for the Oscar and Golden Globe-winning “Writing’s on the Wall”). Sam has amassed over 40 million adjusted album sales, 276 million single sales and 50 billion career streams across their catalog of critically acclaimed albums “In The Lonely Hour”, “The Thrill of It All”, “Love Goes” and “GLORIA”. Sam’s latest GRAMMY-winning, platinum single “Unholy” feat. Kim Petras spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Sam has sold out numerous headline tours worldwide and is currently touring the 2024 iteration of their GLORIA show with GLORIA – The.Blackout, with an exclusive collaboration with Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood. This summer, Sam will be performing at many of Europe’s biggest festivals as well as a very special UK performance at the BBC Proms. View the full itinerary HERE.

SiriusXM And Pandora Celebrate Black Music Month With Special Live Performance By Coco Jones June 27th In Los Angeles

SiriusXM and Pandora* announced today its Black Music Month celebrations, culminating with a special performance by GRAMMY Award-Winning artist Coco Jones on June 27th at Academy LA in Los Angeles. Throughout the month, SiriusXM’s The Power of Music Legacy campaign and on-air programming honours the artists, musicians and creatives that have left their imprint and lasting legacy on the music industry for the next generation.

While SiriusXM amplifies Black music legends and rising stars of the genre year-round, the month kicks off with a pop-up channel dedicated to and in collaboration with the estate of the iconic artist, Notorious B.I.G., as well as the premiere of an exclusive channel dedicated to the music and legacy of R&B/Pop supergroup, New Edition, and the return of SiriusXM’s Black Music Forever. Additionally, new specialty programming launches across channels, including the debut of Armani White’s new show, “The Whisper Room” on Hip-Hop Nation and “Flavor Flav’s Flavor of the Week” on LL COOL J’s Rock The Bells Radio.

As a part of Coco Jones’ success story, SiriusXM has championed the rising artist early on as the first at radio to support her now GRAMMY Award-Winning single, “ICU,” and named her as the inaugural artist of SiriusXM and Pandora’s Artist Accelerator program in November 2022, which develops and breaks new artists by leveraging the massive audience of both platforms. SiriusXM has since continued to amplify her music with dedicated airplay across channels. “SiriusXM and Pandora Present Coco Jones” will air on 6/29 at 8pET and will encore on 6/30, 11pET and 7/4, 12pET on SiriusXM’s The Heat (ch. 46).

See below for details on SiriusXM’s pop up channels and specialty programming:

Pop up channels:

New Edition Radio– Since they exploded on the scene in the mid 80’s, New Edition spawned multiple hits and inspired many boy bands that followed. Whether as the group New Edition or as solo artists, Bobby Brown, BBD, Ralph Tresvant, and Johnny Gill, the members of New Edition continue to be an iconic force in R&B/Pop, and you can hear it all on SiriusXM’s New Edition Radio. Listen to New Edition Radio on the SiriusXM app June 5 through July 1 and on channel 79 June 11 through June 17.

Logo for the New Edition Radio station

Notorious Radio- Brooklyn-born Christopher Wallace changed Hip-Hop forever when he burst onto the rap scene in the early 90’s. As the Notorious B.I.G., he utilized his laid-back lyrical delivery to tell tales of celebration and strife. Celebrating 30 years since B.I.G.’s debut album Ready to Die, Notorious Radio features his entire catalogue, along with music inspired by the late rapper. The channel will also consist of other hip-hop artists and luminaries paying tribute to the rap legend. Listen to Notorious Radio on the SiriusXM app June 5 through July 1 and on channel 79 June 25 through June 30. 

Logo for the Notorious Radio station featuring a photo of Notorious B.I.G

Black Music Forever– Hear the tracks that are currently moving The Culture and discover the music that’s on the come-up. If it’s Hip-Hop and R&B that’s killin’ it in the clubs, or emerging Afropop and Caribbean vibes – hear it all on Black Music Forever. Listen to Black Music Forever on the SiriusXM app June 5 through July 1 and on channel 79 June 18 through June 24.

New Show Launches: 

“The Whisper Room with Armani White”- A new exclusive monthly show hosted by the platinum artist Armani White and “Little Brother” Jah the DJ launches June 7 on SiriusXM’s Hip-Hop Nation (ch. 44). “The Whisper Room with Armani White” brings listeners all the laughs, chaos, behind the scenes stories and the best of hip-hop music. Each month the close friends and music collaborators will come together to share their favourite music picks and spotlight the up and coming hip-hop artists they are excited about. The show will also feature never before heard stories from Armani White and Jah’s tour travels as they reminisce on their music and personal experiences together. During the first show on June 7, Armani White is set to play a new unreleased song from his album for SiriusXM listeners to hear for the first time ever.

“Flavor Flav’s Flavor of the Week”- A new series hosted by legendary hip-hop artist and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Flavor Flav, launches June 10 and broadcasts from the new SiriusXM Studio at Wynn Las Vegas. “Flavor Flav’s Flavor of the Week” will air weekly on LL COOL J’s Rock The Bells Radio channel. Flav will spin tracks from his favourite classic hip-hop artists and share stories from his one-of-a-kind music career as founder of the legendary group, Public Enemy, his experiences as a TV personality, and more.

Specialty Programming: 

Behind The Flow with Bryan-Michael Cox- Join Bryan-Michael Cox for an exclusive glimpse into the heart of R&B from the 2000s, as he shares stories behind his Grammy-winning hits and offers insights into the genre’s evolution from icons like Mary J. Blige to rising stars like Muni Long. The special airs June 19 on SiriusXM’s The Flow (ch. 48).

Being With You: Smokey Robinson with Martha Reeves- Smokey Robinson chats with Motown Legend Martha Reeves where they discuss their lives and music. The special airs on June 17 on SiriusXM’s Smokey’s Soul Town (ch. 74).

Kardinal & Friends –Canadian icon Kardinal Offishall will take over Mixtape: North (ch. 164) with a special DJ set, playing a mix of his hits and those of his many friends and colleagues. The special airs June 14/15, 21/22, and 28/29.

Kim Fields Grooves With The Stars!- In honour of Black Music Month, Hollywood icon Kim Fields sits down with some of the biggest stars of R&B! From Chaka Khan to Sheila E. and more, the hottest R&B icons in the game chat it up about their storied careers and talk about what’s next! The special airs on SiriusXM’s The Groove (ch. 51) on June 17.

Smokey’s Soul Town Presents The Temptations- Recorded in front of a studio audience in “Smokey’s Lounge” at the SiriusXM LA Garage, Smokey sits down with The Temptations for a special interview exploring their music with never before told stories. In celebration of the 60th anniversary of “My Girl,” Smokey performs “My Girl” live for the first time ever with The Temptations, a song he wrote especially for them. The special airs June 5 and throughout the week on SiriusXM’s Smokey’s Soul Town (ch. 74).

Tanya Stephens Live from Miami- Celebrate the 20th anniversary of Tanya Stephens’ groundbreaking album, Gangsta Blues, with an exclusive live performance recorded from the SiriusXM Miami Studios. Experience this iconic album from start to finish, including hits like ‘It’s A Pity,’ ‘These Streets,’ and more. The special airs on SiriusXM’s Bob Marley’s Tuff Gong Radio (ch. 19) June 14.

Eligible customers can get their first three months of SiriusXM for free. Go to siriusxm.ca/GetSiriusXM3mos to sign up and experience all that SiriusXM has to offer. See Offer Details.

* Pandora is not currently available in Canada

Photo Gallery: Snoop Dogg with Warren G, DJ Quik and Merkules at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena

Snoop Dogg

All photos by Mini’s Memories. You can contact her through Instagram or X.

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Jesse Cook Returns To Canada In 2025 With 15-Date ‘In Concert’ Tour

What do you do when you’re a world-renowned guitarist who’s sold more than 2 million records, won an entire mantel’s worth of awards, and toured relentlessly since the pandemic lockdowns were lifted? You add more dates, of course.

Nuevo Flamenco sensation Jesse Cook has just announced the spring 2025 leg of his “Jesse Cook in Concert” world tour, adding 15 shows that will take him to five Canadian provinces between February and April. The extension is the clerest testament yet to the unprecedented success of the tour, which started in 2024 and has been bringing the already wildly in-demand Cook to new markets and bigger venues than ever before. The freshly added dates are as follows:

Feb. 27 – Empire Theatre, Belleville, ON
Feb. 28 – Massey Hall, Toronto, ON
March 1 – Centre in the Square, Kitchener, ON
March 2 – National Arts Centre, Ottawa, ON
April 12 – The Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts, Vancouver, BC
April 13 – Chilliwack Cultural Centre, Chilliwack, BC
April 14 – Vernon & District Performing Arts Centre, Vernon, BC
April 15 – Kelowna Community Theatre, Kelowna, BC
April 16 – Capitol Theatre, Nelson, BC
April 17 – Key City Theatre, Cranbrook, BC
April 19 – Red Deer Memorial Centre, Red Deer, AB
April 21 – Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, Edmonton, AB
April 22 – Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, Calgary, AB
April 23 – Casino Regina, Regina, SK
April 24 – Burton Cummings Theatre, Winnipeg, MB

With sold out concerts in London, Munich Vienna, as well as a tour of Poland already under his belt and trips to France, the UK, and the United States on the immediate horizon, Cook will be firing on all cylinders by the time the 2025 Canadian shows roll around.

But he’s hardly kept his hand off the throttle since he resumed his post-covid live activity in 2022. His “Tempest” tour gave over 80 performances that year, selling more than 100,000 tickets and racking up an attendance rate of 80 percent—well above the industry standard. A five-page article in Guitar Player Magazine documented the phenomenon of posterity. The next year, his “Libre” tour visited 85 markets for 105 shows, with highlights including an invitation to participate in Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Festival of renowned guitarists in September 2023.

Over the past three decades, Cook has played thousands of concerts in dozens of countries. Some diehard fans have seen 20 or more shows. His 2004 live album, Montreal, was a huge hit in Poland—one of the more overt signs of his international reach. (Others have included hearing his music used to score the nightly news in Iraq and having another of his songs plagiarized for a major Bollywood movie. Then again, being a musical global citizen comes naturally to the Paris-born Cook, who’s lived everywhere from Barcelona to Toronto and whose hybrid music colors the traditional sounds of flamenco with classical, jazz, Zydeco, blues, and Brazilian samba.

“I’ve just always made the music that I love,” he says. “But if music can come from around the world and interconnect so beautifully to create this beautiful tapestry, maybe there’s something that music can teach us.”

He’s just as much of a phenomenon on record, with a discography of 14 releases that numbers 10 platinum and gold studio albums, many of which have reached the Top 10 of the U.S. Billboard Charts. A new album will be released in the beginning of 2025, previewed by a series of singles in fall 2024—bringing the anticipation for the spring 2025 Canadian shows to a fever pitch.

Over the course of his highly storied career, Cook has released five concert DVDs and live discs and appeared in five PBS specials. His music has been streamed online 750 million times, and his YouTube library comprises over 300 videos, including installments of a series called “Love in the Time of Covid” that he created from home during the pandemic. He uploaded one music video a week, with himself often playing all the instruments. The 31 videos in the series have amassed over 35 million views to date.

And it isn’t only the public that thinks Cook is tops: He’s earned the highest praise from his musical peers and industry tastemakers as well. He has a JUNO Award win and 11 nominations to his name, as well as three Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards, a Gemini Award and a Player’s Choice Silver Award from Acoustic Guitar Magazine.

It’s all been an unexpected ride for this almost-accidental guitar giant, who had no intention beyond working as a composer when he completed his musical education at the Royal Conservatory, York University and Berklee College. Then an Ontario cable TV company aired his music on their listings channel. “Their switchboard got flooded with calls,” he recalls. “People even got my number somehow and started phoning me at home and asking for a CD. And I was saying, ‘I don’t have a CD. I’m a background composer guy. I don’t make records.’

Now he sets them. His self-produced and -released debut, 1995’s Tempest, launched him to worldwide acclaim—a process that was only speeded by a breakthrough gig at the Catalina Jazz Festival, where his set netted him a 10-minute standing ovation and sparked mob scenes. “It was like being The Beatles,” he marvels.

Watch for similarly rapturous responses when the “Jesse Cook in Concert” tour sets its sights on Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba in 2025. Just don’t expect Cook to spoil the experience by giving it a name, because categorization isn’t how he rolls.

“What do I call my music? I never know how to answer that question,” he says. “Mostly I don’t care, as long as it touches people’s hearts.”

 

Grindstone Comedy Festival Returns for Its 5th Year July 3-7 With Bruce McCulloch and Support for Comedian Kathleen McGee

The Grindstone Comedy Festival is set to return to Edmonton, Alberta, from July 3 to July 7, 2024, for its highly anticipated fifth year. This annual event brings together a diverse lineup of local, national, and international comedy acts for an unforgettable five days of improv, sketch, and stand-up comedy.

Featuring over 50 talented artists, the festival boasts both indoor and outdoor stages, a lively beer garden, tantalizing local food trucks, enriching workshops, and a plethora of shows to catch. From seasoned veterans to up-and-coming stars, the Grindstone Comedy Festival promises something for everyone. 

Past editions of the festival have welcomed renowned performers such as Scott Thompson, Jon Dore, Nikki Payne, Chris Locke, Sophie Buddle, Peter Oldring, Ryan Belleville, Neema Naz, Che Durena, Ken Hall and many more.

This year, audiences can expect stellar performances from a lineup that includes Bruce McCulloch, known for his work with the legendary sketch troupe The Kids in the Hall, Debra DiGiovanni, one of Canada’s top comic darlings often remembered by 90s kids for making fun of music videos on Much Music’s Video On Trial, Dave Merheje, the 2019 Juno Award winner for Comedy Album of the year, and Bonnie McFarlane a long time Alberta ex-pat who the Huffington Post listed as the number one funniest female you should know. Meanwhile in the improv department of the festival This Hour Has 22 Minutes’ Chris Wilson and Murdoch Mysteries’ Clare McConnell join Grindstone Theatre’s own The 11 O’Clock Number to make up full length musicals on the spot.

One special highlight of this year’s festival is a fundraising event scheduled for Sunday, July 7, dedicated to supporting comedian Kathleen McGee, a native of Edmonton and co-founder of the festival. Kathleen’s journey with cancer has been a rollercoaster of resilience and determination. After initially overcoming colon cancer in December 2022, she faced a recurrence that spread to her liver, abdomen, and lungs. Despite the challenges, Kathleen continues to share her unapologetic and dark sense of humour with audiences worldwide.

The fundraiser aims to raise funds to fulfill Kathleen’s bucket list wishes and provide her with comfort during her battle with cancer. Headlined by Bruce McCulloch, who is not only a featured performer but also actively involved in organizing the event, the fundraiser promises to be a heartwarming and hilarious evening in support of a beloved member of the comedy community.

Kathleen McGee’s impressive comedic resume includes appearances at Just for Laughs, CBC Debaters, and SiriusXM Top Comic, among others. She hosts her own popular podcast, “Kathleen McGee Is A Hot Mess,” and co-hosts the “Dead Baby Bear” podcast. With her unique style and undeniable talent, Kathleen has earned a dedicated following and the admiration of her peers.

Bruce McCulloch, a multi-talented actor, comedian, writer, and director, brings his wealth of experience to the festival. Best known for his work with The Kids in the Hall, Bruce has also made significant contributions to television, film, and stage. His one-man show, “Dark Purple Slice,” premiered in February, adding to his impressive repertoire.

For tickets and more information about Grindstone Comedy Festival visit grindstonecomedyfest.com

Joined At The Hip: Podcast Explores The Legacy Of The Late, Great Gord Downie In “Discovering Downie”

You probably know Gord Downie as the greatly missed frontman of Canadian rock legends The Tragically Hip. You may even know that he, along with his bandmates, was made a member of the Order of Canada before his untimely passing from cancer in 2017. But did you know that he also enjoyed a prolific parallel career as a solo artist that continues to this day via posthumous releases?

Jamie “jD” Dew knows. But he’s well aware that not everyone else is quite so clued in. That’s why the Toronto-based superfan has launched a new podcast, Discovering Downie, that’s devoted exclusively to examining its namesake’s lesser-known but still vital output under his own name. And just so less obsessive members of the listening audience don’t feel alienated or intimidated, jD is bringing along three co-hosts who consider themselves big Hip fans as well, yet who are still relatively unschooled in Downie’s solo work. Every episode, Langley, BC’s Craig Rogers, Vermonter Justin St. Louis and Californian Kirk Lane will join jD for a deep dive into the great man’s eight so far solo albums, sharing the thrill of discovery—or in jD’s case, rediscovery—of a creative spirit it took more than one recording contract to exercise. You can check it out at Apple or Spotify.

“The mission of this podcast is to highlight and showcase the solo works of Gord Downie to a cohort of fans that might not be as familiar with it,” jD says. “I put out a call for giant fans of The Tragically Hip who weren’t familiar with Gord’s solo discography, and I had several people reach out. Ultimately, I went with Craig, Justin and Kirk because I thought they each brought something unique to the table.”

You couldn’t ask for a more qualified, complementary bunch. Rogers is an accomplished guitarist/saxophonist who earned degrees in music and education and performed extensively with original bands before joining Tragically Hip tribute outfit Gift Shop. St. Louis is a lifelong devotee of Canadian culture and such a fervent disciple of The Hip that he mentioned them in his wedding vows. And the multifaceted Lane balances his day job as an event technology producer with gigs as a club musician and sometime stage actor. Living in a market where the group were largely unknown, he got to see them in an intimate club setting multiple times, after being brought into the fold by Canadian friends he worked and played hockey with.

“My hope for Discovering Downie is to share the brilliance of Gord’s solo work to the broader community of Hip fans,” says co-host Rogers. “Together, let’s explore the depth of his solo albums by exchanging stories and experiences, enriching our appreciation for his profound artistry.”

The new show builds on jD’s work hosting the 2023 podcast Getting Hip to The Hip, on which he introduced the band to novice listeners Pete Marchica from Malaga, Spain and Tim Lyden (of Portland, Oregon)—neither of whom had even heard of the group before. Five years precious, jD had created the seminal Hip podcast Fully & Completely, which reached the Top 10 on the Apple podcast charts, racked up over 150,000 downloads and inspired a Facebook fan group with nearly 2,000 members.

Discovering Downie will last for 11 episodes. And as with Getting Hip to The Hip before it, its run will include a live show. This one’s set for 7 p.m. Friday, July 19, at the Rec Room, 255 Bremner Blvd., Toronto. Appropriately enough, all proceeds from the event will go to the Gord Downie Fund for Brain Cancer Research. As Downie himself once sang, “Come on, just let’s go.”

Canadian Punk Legend Gene Champagne Flies High On Debut Solo Record ‘Let’s Jet!’

Pop that cork and raise a toast! Beloved Canadian punk drummer Gene Champagne is stepping out from behind the kit for his long-awaited first solo EP, Let’s Jet!

A fan favorite after decades of pounding the skins for Teenage Head, The Killjoys and playing the guitar and singing with The Un-Teens, Champagne now has his sights set squarely on Renaissance Man status. He’s written, sung and played every part on a four-song tour de force he recorded several years ago in his home studio, and which is only now seeing the light of day. Life, it seems, just got in the way … but more on that later.

The title track/opener lets us know just what we’re in for, and why the wait was entirely worth it. It’s an insanely catchy throwback to the days when punk, power pop and rock and roll lived at the same electric nexus point, and you could still use the music to document simple youthful angst without anybody asking you what you thought about Nicaragua. Champagne spins a tale of adolescent lust and trepidation, his hormones raging with every syllable as he musters up the courage to proposition a potential pickup who’s caught his eye:

We’ve been hanging around here way too long
But there’s a girl dancing to my favorite song
I’m gonna ask her to go for a ride
My knees are shaking, feel like I’m gonna die
I’m walking over, I’m really on my way
Let’s jet
Baby let’s jet
Get ready get set
Baby let’s jet

Champagne’s impassioned vocal delivery is 100 percent authoritative, and his instrumental tracks crackle with the energy of not just classic punk, but also power pop and good old rock and roll. It’s the same on the ep’s other tracks, “Back in My Arms,” “Rock’n’roll Boy” and “Shake Some More,” all of which rock with the joyous unison of an actual band while benefiting from the keen focus of a singular vision.

The vindication of finally having the record out is all the sweeter for the many trials Champagne had to endure along the way. First, his mother died; then he himself contracted a nasty case of covid that landed him in the hospital, where he was put on an ventilator and wound up in a coma for seven days. The story received attention in the national press, with no guarantees offered that Champagne would pull through. When he finally did, and regained his strength to play, fate dealt another cruel hand: Gordie Lewis, Champagne’s bandmate in Teenage Head and his self-described “hero” from the age of 15, was found murdered in his home.

“He was taken away from us, and in a way that was not easy to comprehend or shake,” Champagne says.

Lewis’ memory and spirit live on in Let’s Jet! The title itself comes from a saying Lewis had passed along from Head singer Frankie Venom, and the lyrics to the title song include a reference to their band’s classic track “Ain’t Got No Sense.”

If Lewis is getting to pull any strings from his new vantage point Up There, he’s doing so with a vengeance. Let’s Jet! Has hit the top 10 on indie radio charts around the world, including #1 rankings in the UK, France and Los Angeles. It’s the first time Champagne has gone to the top of any of those charts outside Canada, he notes with pride. And the song has been playlisted on SiriusXM’s Rodney Bingenheimer and Little Steven’s Coolest Songs In The World on the Underground Garage channel.

“These days, things are brighter, and I have learned tough lessons in those past years,” Champagne says. “There’s no time like now, and we are all fragile. I can’t sit on things, and I want to do what I love in the now.

“Here we are today, and it’s time for Let’s Jet! to be put out into the world.”

Over to you, world. You know what to do.

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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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