''Taming Sari is such an exciting Canadian Rock Band with their hard-hitting lyrics and insatiable energy in their live performances and music,'' says Kim Cyr, Editor in Chief for NOW and THEN Magazine, radio host, and host of the International Music's Journey Podcast. ''I am thrilled every time they have a new release. This band delivers for every classic rock fan to new-age rock audiences. They are simply brilliant.''
A hard-hitting anthem speaks of vulnerability, feeling exposed in a world where it is harder and harder to fly under the radar and the raw energy of youth. “No Shelter” acts as a visceral reminder to cherish the people in your life — especially during an era filled with social trauma. It's also about forming strong relationships that make us feel connected. 'No Shelter' takes you on a journey and asks the question ''How long can it last?'' and ''Will you be with me to face what's next''?
Beyond its commentary, “No Shelter” is a blistering track that showcases the exceptional musicianship and vocal prowess of each member of Taming Sari. Listeners are treated to a sonically sophisticated song that is the culmination of Taming Sari’s pent-up creativity and energy during the pandemic; as the band says, “‘No Shelter’ is three minutes of pure mental and physical release that we all so desperately need in these times.”
“No Shelter” effortlessly exudes youthful energy through its meticulous guitar riffs and thunderous drums. “It's also about forming strong relationships that make us feel connected.” Anyone with a penchant for raw, melodic craftsmanship can be assured that the harmonies embedded in the music are as potent as the message.
“Let's settle the score know who to blame how long can it last? thing's will never be the same.”
Hailing from across Canada, Taming Sariis a collection of eclectic artists hell-bent on refining their distinct blend of classic rock and blues. This bilingual band has been on fire since the release of their debut album, Thirsty From The Drought, in 2019.
They have since performed during the intermission of an Ottawa Senators game, made it on the Canadian Active Rock charts, and racked up 200,000 streams and 70k listeners on Spotify with their last single alone. With a long list of recognitions and accolades, the release of their latest single ensures that Taming Sari is one of the most exciting Canadian acts today.
The 22-track album was recorded at the legendary El Mocambo in Toronto, ON last September and includes tracks from their sophomore album No Fools No Fun, and 5 brand new songs capturing the no holds barred, kick-ass ethic the band brings to everything they do.
The new album was put together with the help of live studio engineer Doug McClement (Blue Rodeo, Moxy Fruvous), live engineer Kirstan Moore, lead technician Jamie Howieson, and mastering engineer João Carvalho. Brian Moncar, the album’s mixing engineer (Alice Cooper, Our Lady Peace, The Tea Party) produced tracks 1-13 on the album, along with some other heavy hitters including Max Kerman of The Arkells (Saint John String Quartet) who arranged “Dark Times,” John-Angus MacDonald of The Trews (Glorious Sons, Dave Rave) producer of “Sympathy Card,” and Jason Jenkyns (The Stanfields, The Town Heroes) and Jon Landry (The Stanfields, The Town Heroes) who co-produced “The Swedish Motel”.
The No Fools No Fun album released in 2021 received national recognition with the track “Sympathy Card” hitting #27 on Billboard’s Active Rock Chart and top 50 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Chart in Canada, and “Overtime” was used in a montage during game 4 of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. Most recently, No Fools No Fun was nominated for the 2022 ECMAS for Rock Recording of The Year.
The Nova Scotia natives continue to grow in the industry with multiple singles on the nationally syndicated show, “East Coast Countdown” and they have been showcased internationally at Live at Heart (Orebro, Sweden), ASEAN Music Showcase festival, Bangkok Music City festival, and Canadian Music Week.
They were also named Arkells “Leather Jacket” cover contest winners, Casino NS Artist in Residence Finalists from 2016-2018, Q104 Homegrown Champions out of 120 bands in 2017, and Jim Beam National Talent Search Regional Winners (Halifax) in 2019.
In addition to releasing new music, Andre Pettipas and The Giants are currently on the road, making stops at Canadian stages in Montreal, Ontario, PEI, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. For more details on the tour, visit andrepettipasandthegiants.com/shows.
I had the chance to catch up with frontman Andre Pettipas to talk about the new album, play some great music and talk about life as a touring band. Andre also shares some news about recording at The Tragically Hip studio for their new music. The Burning Questions portion of the show is a lot of fun. To hear all the music and interview, click on the link below.
Multi-award-winning Canadian Music Hall of Famer singer, guitarist, writer, and producer Myles Goodwyn is raising awareness and support “For Ukraine” with the release of his poignant new single — available now.
The leader of the multi-Platinum-selling rock band April Wine was inspired to pen the track after seeing the country’s suffering amidst attacks from Russia.
“Like the rest of the world, I’m witness to the devastation and suffering caused by the needless war in Ukraine,” Goodwyn shares. “This painfully sad and tragic situation inspired me to write this song with the hope that it might encourage people to help the citizens of Ukraine who are so desperately in need of our help.”
As distinctive and immediately recognizable as his songwriting skills are prolific, Goodwyn’s vocals and guitar are joined by Bruce Dixon on bass guitar and Scott Ferguson on drum programming. “For Ukraine” arrives ahead of Goodwyn’s forthcoming collection of all-new original songs, Long Pants, set for release this summer.
In addition to Goodwyn and the other members of April Wine being inducted into the Canadian Music Hall Of Fame in 2010, he received the prestigious East Coast Music Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008 and the SOCAN National Achievement Award in 2002.
''Myles Goodwyn has been busy writing for his 3rd and 4th studio album. Goodwyn's 3rd album ''Long Pants'' is set to release on June 23rd right on Myles Goodwyn's birthday,'' says Kim Cyr, Editor in Chief for NOW and THEN Magazine, radio host, and host of the International Music's Journey Podcast. ''There are some pretty special songs on the 3rd album, songs that were written by Goodwyn in hopes to create change and open up the dialog by building awareness on many important world topics. One of those songs Goodwyn wrote is ''For Ukraine'' which is available right now and that is on his upcoming new album ''Long Pants''. Goodwyn will be performing this special song along with a few others at a very special event this coming weekend on May 14th...Pictou Country Benefit For Ukraine.'' For more information, click HERE.
The ‘Myles Goodwyn and Friends Of The Blues’ album earned him a JUNO nomination for Blues Recording of the Year, and won the ECMA award for Blues Recording of the Year. The following year Myles released ‘Friends of The Blues 2, ‘on the way to the album being well-received and winning another ECMA award for Blues Album Of The Year.
In 2016, he released his memoir named, Just Between You and Me, which became an instant seller on the Globe and Mail’s Non-Fiction List. His second book, Elvis and Tiger — this time a work of fiction — was published in 2018.
Myles Goodwyn’s new album, Long Pants, is available on June 23rd, 2022.
To hear my interview with Rock legend Myles Goodwyn, click on the link below.
The Trews are getting back to what they do best – hitting the road and playing live. The band have lined up several headlining dates across Canada this spring and summer, alongside support slots in Toronto for Black Crowes, and St. John’s, NL for the unrivaled Stone Temple Pilots. Excited about hitting the road, guitarist John-Angus MacDonald says, “We can’t wait to bring the songs from Wanderer to stages across Canada this spring & summer. The album is full of great live material that we haven’t had a chance to fully air out yet and it all fits in great with the rest of our catalogue. We said it before and we’ll say it again – we wanna play! “ For tickets visit HERE.
After hitting their previously announced dates in Estevan, SK, and in between festival appearances and supporting slots for the Black Crowes, the band will play new headlining slots in Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan, BC, Ontario, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. The trek begins next month with a show in Winnipeg on the 24th and ends in Antigonish on August 19.
The Trews are keeping their live show going with plans for a bunch of new Canadian concerts this summer. To celebrate their expanded tour schedule, they've also shared a video for "Enemy."
The single changes things up for the band with lead-guitarist John-Angus writing and singing lead vocals for this one. An interesting story of how this one came to be, John-Angus explains, “My then 5 year old son Elliott had a hand in inspiring this track. Alone time to work on new material when you’re raising two small children is almost non-existent so I find myself playing music with them, or at least with them in the room, often. One day Elliott suggested that I write a song called “I know what it’s like to be the Enemy”. The melody he came up with was more akin to an Iron Maiden song, or some other heavy metal band, then a Trews song. When I asked him why that lyric he said he wanted to hear a song from the perspective of one of the bad guys in a Marvel movie. Anyway, the lyric brought that chord progression and melody out of me almost instantaneously – they seemed married to each other from the very start. A day or two later I penned the verse and kept with that theme of it being from the perspective of the enemy but more the universal enemy, the one within. “
Plenty of grand boasts can be made about Wanderer, the blazing seventh studio album from rock ‘n’ roll heavyweights The Trews and easily their fiercest and most accomplished, garlanded as it is with enough marquee credits and potential smash-hits to spin even jaded heads.
But the Wanderer’s most striking claim may be this: it could not have achieved its acrobatic feats of sonic power had it not been for the lamentable, awful but also weirdly inspiring and motivational global pandemic which made touring impossible and writing and recording the only games in town.
Talk about a silver lining. At least in retrospect.
“This is a really strong rock record from start to finish. Every song was mulled over extensively,” guitarist John-Angus MacDonald says. “The pandemic bought us more time which you always need with songwriting. There are songs that would not be on this record had it happened another way.”
Adds singer/guitarist Colin MacDonald, “We accidentally honed our recording skills because there was no live show to get to.”
Really, who could have predicted that electrifying recording sessions begun in Nashville in December 2019 with Black Crowes guitarist and long-time Trews friend Rich Robinson would be curtailed by an unprecedented Canada/U.S. border closure, resulting in just three songs being completed?
Or predicted that that maddening roadblock and an ensuing lockdown would fortuitously lead, nine months later, to sessions at Jukasa Studios in Caledonia, Ontario opposite Derek Hoffman, yielding three more songs with the fast-rising producer who brilliantly helmed Civilianaires, The Trews’ widely acclaimed forerunner to The Wanderer. And the story didn’t end there.
With the Robinson/Hoffman sessions banked, six additional songs — including blistering COVID-themed corker and lead single “I Wanna Play” and the barn-burning title track — demanded additional studio time in Toronto in late 2020 with producer Eric Ratz. Yes, he of the Gargantuan Rock Sound as evidenced by his much-lauded work with Monster Truck, Arkells, Big Wreck… and now The Trews, whose playing throughout The Wanderer sounds positively atomic.
“This is very much a guitar record. I mean, all our records have had guitars, but we really put the focus on, forgive the cliché, getting back to our roots with stand-out riffs and solos,” John-Angus MacDonald confirms. “Rich is a walking riff, and Eric is a big guitar guy, so that’s just the way it happened.”
In the end, those three disparate, COVID-dictated sessions forced the chart-topping, globe-trotting crew, which includes bassist Jack Syperek, drummer Chris Gormley, and keyboardist Jeff Heisholt, to cohere as a band as never before. The results speak for themselves.
Indeed, even veteran fans of The Trews will be flattened by the gale force of the before-mentioned single and storming album opener “Where Do You Go,” both cut with Ratz and featuring unabashedly dweedly (but oh-so-cool and air guitar–worthy) guitar solos.
“I love ‘Where Do You Go,’ which is so out-there for us with its weird time changes. And ‘I Wanna Play’ is perfectly indicative of the times: funny, sad, passionate, and it rocks,” says Colin MacDonald, who test- drove the single with fans during Friday night Instagram Live sessions while in lockdown at home.
No new way of working was off the table during sessions for The Wanderer. For example, the three songs recorded with Robinson in Nashville (“Faith and Fumes,” “Permission,” “Hidden Gem”) were cut without a click track, standard studio procedure and the easiest way of tracking changes but also something of a production safety net.
“The songs with Rich were all about committing to the moment,” John-Angus MacDonald says, “and they sound freer as a result.”
“Our paths had been crossing with Rich’s for years,” Colin MacDonald explains of the genesis of the collaboration. “We opened for his side project, the Magpie Salute in the States in 2017, and he opened for us solo acoustic in Canada in 2016. Plus, the Black Crowes are one of our favourite bands.”
Further underscoring their cohesion, The Trews cut the songs on Wanderer together as a band rather than piecemeal which, like the click track, is de rigueur — and very much the way Civilianaires was constructed. But that method did not reflect the band’s headspace in 2020 even if trading audio files from home-studio safe havens would have been much easier.
“We toured for two years with Civilianaires and we wanted to capture that well-oiled band in studio,” John-Angus MacDonald says. “The older I get, the more I realize strengths like that are not a dime a dozen. We wanted to leverage that chemistry.”
Attentive listeners might also notice that the buoyant, pealing “Enemy” features not Colin MacDonald on lead vocals but John-Angus, a Trews first. “Plus, that song is technically a co-write with my then-five- year-old son Elliott because he’s a killer drummer,” he laughs. “He just bashes away with glee, and he came up with some of the lyrics.”
At the other end of the sonic spectrum is the downcast, mournful “Another Year Zero,” a song Colin MacDonald delivers with such furrowed resignation you can practically smell the bourbon on his breath.
“That song is about things taken for granted because something else seems just around the corner,” the singer says. “Other shows to do, other people to meet… but we didn’t factor in a global pandemic.
“It’s a reminder that you can’t take anything for granted, and it’s a reflection of what happens when you’re forced to sit at home alone with yourself.
“This is a transitional album,” Colin MacDonald continues, “and it encapsulates these twin realms of possibility and impossibility. It’s trying to find light during these massively dark times through music. This record was our safe place. We hope it helps others, too.”
“And we cannot wait to tour in May 2022,” John-Angus MacDonald says. “We just want to play again.”
''There is nothing sweeter than when you hear that Rock icons The Trews are heading out on tour,'' says Kim Cyr, Editor in Chief for NOW and THEN Magazine, radio host, and host of the International Music's Journey Podcast. ''The Trewshave been rocking stages around the world for over 20 years now they are finally heading out on the I Wanna Play Tour in May with rock band W3APONS. I had a fantastic time talking with lead singer Colin MacDonald. This interview has loads of behind the lyrics and the music chat and lots of music from their new album Wanderer that you don't want to miss.''
To hear my interview with Colin MacDonald, click on the link below.
05/24 – Winnipeg, MB – Burton Cummings Theatre 05/25 – Regina, SK – Casina Regina 05/27 – Saskatoon, SK – The Roxy 05/29 – Red Deer, AB – Bo’s 05/30 – Edmonton AB – Midway Music 05/31 – Calgary, AB – The Palace Theatre 06/02 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore 06/05 – Medicine Hat, AB – Esplanade 06/08 – Thunder Bay, ON – NV Music Hall 06/10 – Sarnia, ON – Black Party 06/16 – Sudbury, ON – Caruso Club 06/17 – Burlington, ON – Spencer Smith Park 06/20 – St. John’s, NL – Iceberg Alley 07/05 – Windsor, ON – The Colosseum at Caesars 07/06 – Toronto, ON – The Budweiser Stage *Black Crowes 07/14 – London, ON – Harris Park 07/16 – Bala, ON – Kee to Bala 07/23 – Mattawa, ON – Mattawa Voyageur Days 07/30 – Saint John, NB – Area 506 Concert Series 08/06 – Youngstown, NY – Youngstown Village Music Festival 08/14 – Grand Prairie, AB – Bear Creek Folk Festival 08/19 – Antigonish, NS – Nova Scotia Summerfest
FKB is a high-energy, four-piece, alternative rock band based in Edmonton, influenced by the mystique, glamour, and excess of the 1960s-1980s entertainment business.
Formed in Bonnyville, Alberta, the band is fronted by JUNO Award-nominated songwriter (2019), Drew Shalka, and features Travis Topylki(lead guitar), Derek Chalut (drums), and Alex Fedorouk(rhythm guitar).
''FKB has delivered another infectious song with 'Beautiful Fantasy' that begs you to put it on repeat to discover sounds and different frequencies that you just don't pick up on listening to it only once,'' says Kim Cyr, Editor in Chief for NOW and THEN Magazine, host for the International Music's Journey Podcast, and radio host on 91.3 FM. ''I love the effects of the delays in the new track Beautiful Fantasy and how the delays were played in reverse and then played back and some other pretty sweet effects by Dan Davidson. FKB brings a very unique take on an alternative pop-rock sound right now. Their high-energy stage performance will be exciting fans for years to come. The is amazing to see the connection the band members have with one another and their own separate influences and musicianship they all bring to the table. FKB is a very electrifying and intoxicating band and they are constantly challenging themselves creatively and that's exciting. I look forward to seeing what they have in store for us all in 2022.''
FKB’s infectious, falsetto-driven single, “Beautiful Fantasy” (2021) is co-produced by Dan Davidson (Tupelo Honey) and Clayton Bellamy (Road Hammers). “’Beautiful Fantasy’ is us finding a way to connect our influences from the past, like The Beatles, Elvis Presley, and The Beach Boys, with the modern sounds of Foster The People, Portugal the Man, and The Weeknd,” says Shalka. “We wanted to draw from the excitement of our live shows and give people something they can dance to.”
The band appears as themselves in the feature film, Moments in Spacetime (Oct 2020), performing their single, “My Bedroom” (2018). “We reconnected with our high school media arts teacher at a local TEDx event where we were both speaking. He had returned from film school in Vancouver and his recent project, Sweet Oil (2017), was featured at the Phoenix Film Festival and the Holly Shorts Film Festival (Hollywood). He had also done some work on episodes of the AMC series, Hell on Wheels,” recalls Shalka. “He had a new project shooting in Cold Lake, Alberta, and asked if he could write us into the movie performing as ourselves. We even have a few lines of dialogue.” The film stars John Rhys-Davies (Indiana Jones, James Bond, Lord of the Rings), Patty Srisuwan (Misfortune), and Sam Gittins (EastEnders, Call The Midwife, Await Further Instructions).
Clayton Bellamy, a JUNO Award, multiple CCMA and SOCAN Songwriter of the Year has produced all of FKB’s music including, ”Glow” (2020), with Dan Davidson, “Backstreet Daydream” (2019); “My Bedroom” (2018); “Casual Love” (2018), released via KnightVision Records (Amsterdam), “Bright Lights” (2017), which was nominated for Adult Alternative Recording of the Year at the Edmonton Music Awards; and FKB’s debut EP, 123 FKB, which featured the Alternative and Active Rock single, “Crystal Ball”.
FKB has performed over 200 shows across North America since 2017. In 2019, they won the Edmonton edition of the Jim Beam National Talent Search, which culminated in a showcase performance at Canadian Music Week (Toronto).
''Although Taming Sari is fairly new as a band, they show the confidence as one of the top rock bands here in Canada and ones to watch,'' says Kim Cyr, Editor in Chief for NOW and THEN Magazine, host of the International Music's Journey Podcast, and radio host on 91.3 FM. ''Taming Sari has swept onto the scene and left a poignant and lasting impression.
''With their debut album Thirsty From The Drought to their killer new single 'Crazy', this could be a mission complete for them with the catchy openings in every track they release. The frontman Warren Meredith has that grit, and range of bringing the tones of Steven Tyler and bands like Thin Lizzy, and the with shredding guitar riffs, Taming Sari has found their sound. The band is complete with individual excellence, influences, and explosive performances by every band member. This is one band to watch. We have got some killer Canadian Rock bands right now and Taming Sari is one of the bands that are climbing towards the top 10 acts.''
After making numerous media appearances and safely playing for socially distanced crowds, Taming Sari is ready to hit the ground running. When live music makes its triumphant return, there is no doubt that these talented performers will grace stages with the same intensity found in their recordings.
Taming Sari’s signature splashy guitar work and thunderous drums guide the listener through a supercharged anthem to inspire hope in the post-pandemic. Bringing us back to when life seemed more straightforward, “Crazy” is about the inherent connection we all feel towards one another, and how surreal it can feel to lose touch with our need to just enjoy life.
One listen to “Crazy” tells you everything you need to know about Taming Sari’s musical influences, and Toronto’s iconic Polson Pier set the backdrop for the band to channel the rock gods on a beautiful summer day and lay down a couple of blazing new tracks.
The sun-kissed harbourfront wasn’t the only inspiration leading into the recording studio: it would be the first time they would record with a new member, accomplished lead guitarist Joe Fraser, to create the perfect balance of grit and melody while paying homage to past rock n’ roll legends.
Following the momentum of their debut album, Thirsty From The Draught, Taming Sari was positioned to take full advantage of the burgeoning concert scene across Canada shortly before the world was thrown into chaos with Covid. “Crazy” is the third single to capture the group’s artistic perspective on this tumultuous period in history; the first, “Loving Way,” dealt with the initial response to the virus along with the call for racial justice that was to come, and the second, the emotionally-charged “Gone and Run Away,” highlighted the sense of loss that our communities collectively feel.
Check out the video for “Crazy” below, and stay up to date with the band via their socials.
l Am The Horizon is the latest single from this rock trio from Saskatoon! The track is off their recent six-song EP, "Adios Radio", which dropped this past summer. I Am the Horizon has reached a new peak of #17 on the Canadian Active Rock Chart this past week! The band recently released their much-anticipated video for the new single which was produced by Prehistoric Productions.
There are only great things on the horizon for this rock trio. The guys are going out on tour with rock icons The Trews. W3APONS has been working under the mentorship of John-Angus MacDonald from The Trews. John-Angus, in addition to collaborating with the band as a producer and songwriter, has also continually offered career and professional advice which has been invaluable to W3APONS success to date.
W3APONS is currently working with booking agent Adam Kreeft of Good Company, whose clients have included The Glorious Sons, Protest the Hero, and Cleopatrick.
W3APONS is a Canadian Rock trio from Saskatoon, SK. The band’s debut single “Off the Top of My Heart” reached #11 on the Canadian Active Rock Charts completely independently in 2019 and has received over 700,000 streams on Spotify. This pattern would continue for the band’s next three releases, all of which independently went Top 30 in Canada, including their first Top 10 “Bye Baby Gone”.
W3APONS independent charting successes and relentless touring in 2019 resulted in them being handpicked by Theory of a Deadman to accompany Theory for all 21 Canadian dates of their Say Nothing 2020 World Tour.
Drummer/vocalist Tallus Scott, bassist/vocalist Myk Ulan-Hohol, and guitarist/vocalist Jordan Welbourne are the elements in the perfect storm that is W3APONS - Energetic, Hard-hitting, and unmistakably Rock & Roll.
W3APONS has shared the stage with Theory of a Deadman, The Trews, Monster Truck, Sweeney Todd, The Lazys, and The Wild.
Multiple Juno award-winnerColin James is one of the best blues rockers in the music industry and he is at the top of his game with his brand new album Open Road.
Colin James’ music career spans over 30 years and includes 19 studio albums, 7 Juno Awards, 27 Maple Blues Awards, and multi-platinum record sales. Inducted into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame in 2014, Colin James is a beloved guitarist, singer, songwriter, consistently selling out shows internationally.
From the rolling prairies of Saskatchewan to the Open Road of a storied career, multi-award-winning, chart-topping, and multi-platinum-selling guitarist Colin James released his 20th studio album on November 5th via Stony Plain Records. Open Road was mixed at the iconic Abbey Road Studios in London. Colin supports the new album, which is being released on both CD and vinyl LP formats, with substantial touring in Canada and the US, including a spot on the Big Blues Bender multi-day music extravaganza in Las Vegas that took place in September.
That's abundantly clear on the album’s title track, a song co-written by James and Northey that sets the tone for the album for traveling the highways and byways that are part and parcel of a touring musician’s life. But while the track seems custom-crafted to reflect the road life of traveling musicians, it’s a song anyone can find their own lives and experiences reflected in; all summed up in the lyrics, “every life is an open road.” “It’s definitely got a sense of movement,” James says, “which, I think, is compounded by our lack of ability to travel over the last year and a half.”
For James, Open Road is the third in a trilogy of records, a natural follow up to the 2018 JUNO Award-winning Miles To Go, an album that garnered worldwide attention as it debuted on the Billboard Blues Chart, the iTunes Blues Chart, and added six new Maple Blues Awards to Colin’s running total of 27.
“Those two records, in a way they’re almost straight blues, and through them, we found a new audience, especially in America. They also had a fair number of covers; some of them reimagined versions of songs I’ve known since I was 12 or 13 years old. So, on Open Road I wanted to try and stay true to that kind of blues, but also to show some growth.”
Open Road mines the past and present for inspiration in equal measure. It’s also a record that finds James looking forward with determination. After 19 months and a change of Covid, everyone feels more than a bit down and done. But while James isn’t immune to that feeling, the variety of blues he presents on Open Road – rather than dwelling on struggle – is meant to lift people’s spirits, encourage them to shake off the shadows, and move forward in a way that’s fiercely hopeful.
Directed by Cole Northey, “Down On The Bottom” video opens with Colin James driving a Classic Black ’66 Mustang convertible down a dirt country road as the crack of drums and searing guitar roll in. With soaring vocals, James rocks this cover (Bob Dylan, Jim James) with a sweet, sanctified feel that preaches a loner’s gospel and an arrangement that keeps James’ vocal talent front and center. His guitar tones are crisp and beautiful, embellishing the spaces around his voice creating magic. James displays a master’s touch here and has created one of the finest roots music videos of 2021. The song was produced by Colin James and Dave Meszaros.
Following this summer’s first track release, “Down On The Bottom,” the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Famer has revealed the release’s latest single in the title track “Open Road” — available now.
In delivering 20-plus albums across 30-plus years, a look back over Colin James’ career reveals a timeline rich in highlights, kicking off when he subbed in for a no-show opening act at a Stevie Ray Vaughan concert in his hometown of Regina. He’s been following the path Vaughan set out for him that night when Stevie Ray told him, “I’m opening doors for you –walk through them.”
His 1988 self-titled debut, featuring two self-penned hits, “Voodoo Thing” and “Five Long Years,” was the fastest-selling album in Canadian history, winning him his first of now-seven JUNOs, and an opening spot on tour with Keith Richards.
In addition to his own studio offerings, Colin James has worked with some of the world's most revered artists across his multi-decade career — including Bonnie Raitt, Albert Collins, Pops Staples, Robert Cray, Albert King, Keith Richards, Lenny Kravitz, ZZ Top, Mavis Staples, Luther Allison, Roomful of Blues, Bobby King and Terry Evans, John Hammond Jr., The Chieftains, Carlos Santana, Little Feat, Johnny Hallyday, Jeff Healey, and Buddy Guy.
And beyond his own recording and touring to massive sold-out crowds, he is a prolific songwriter, with his music recorded by the likes of Maria Muldaur, Lucinda Williams, and Johnny Hallyday. He is also credited with launching the swing revival in Canada, thanks to his wildly popular Little Big Band.
Colin James Tour Dates November 8, 2021 – Qualicom Civic Centre – Qualicom Beach, BC November 9, 2021 – Tidemark Theatre – Campbell River, BC November 10, 2021 – Evergreen Theatre – Powell River, BC November 13, 2021 – Cleland Theatre – Penticton, BC November 14, 2021 – Performing Arts Centre – Vernon, BC November 15, 2021 – Key City Theatre – Cranbrook, BC November 17, 2021 – Festival Place – Sherwood Park, AB November 18, 2021 – Festival Place – Sherwood Park, AB November 20, 2021 – Vic Juba Theatre – Lloydminster, AB November 21, 2021 – Lougheed PAC – Cargill Theatre Camrose, AB November 23, 2021 – Blues At The Bow – Bow Island, AB November 24, 2021 – Blues At The Bow – Bow Island, AB
The main songwriter for OBS(the band has racked up six top 10 hits on Canadian rock radio, with their hit song “Raging Bull” reaching the #1 spot for four weeks), Shane has released his first-ever solo single “Shiver” on October 22 via all streaming platforms.
“Shiver” is a brooding, rumbling track, showcasing another side to the Saskatoon native with elements of rock with a country twang.
“I’m always writing songs - they just flow out of me. I’ve written a lot of songs that weren’t the right fit for OBS, and I’m excited to finally share them beyond jamming in my living room,” said Shane. “It’s a song about reconnecting to music and my creativity as a whole. I hope the lyrics connect with anyone who has had a dream and maybe lost sight of what made it so special to them in the first place.”
I have Shane available for pre-taped and live-to-air virtual interviews and acoustic performances in support of the single release in the coming weeks. Please let me know if you are interested in speaking with him.
Best known as the lead singer and songwriter of the rock band One Bad Son, his commanding stage presence and soaring vocal range have put him in a league of his own as a Rock N Roll frontman for the last 18 years. OBS has toured with incredible artists such as Def Leppard, Judas Priest, and Shinedown, and landed a coveted spot on the only Canadian stop of the 2019 Rolling Stones tour.
In embracing the full spectrum of his art, Shane has also embarked on a career as a professional comic book artist. His first series, the medieval noir Nottingham with Florida publisher Mad Cave Studios, has already gained great success, shattering all of the company’s previous sales records, with each book receiving multiple printings.
To coincide with the single release Shane will also release a 20-page graphic novel that he created called “Shiver”, it can be viewed here and the cover art is below.
The final piece of the puzzle is in place! TheShiver comic book is now available for digital download on Amazon! Physical copies are limited. You can find them at Redd Skull Comics and at Shanes shows!
“You never expect to get such a huge hit your first time out! I am truly honoured and grateful to the Mad Cave team and to the fans.” He says that the success of Nottingham has brought him one step closer to a lifelong aspiration, “I’ve wanted to draw comics my whole life, and I will always love making music. To be able to do both is a dream come true. All I really want is more art all the time!”
''I had the chance to catch up with frontman, Shane Connery Volk, lead singer for the chart-topping rock band One Bad Son, one of my favorite voices in Rock music today,'' says Kim Cyr, Editor in Chief for NOW and THEN Magazine, host of the International Music's Journey Podcast, and radio host on 91.3 FM. ''We could have spent hours talking about all the fun stories on the road he has shared with his bandmates, the history of the music industry, and just how much it has changed since he started his journey in music. This by far, is one of my favorite interviews so far this year.''
Shane takes the time to chat about the decision to release his first solo music, his personal journey in the music industry, life on the road touring with the band, and recent success as a comic book artist, reigniting his passion, melding his creative energies on this new track, and much more!!
To hear my interview with Shane, click on the link below
Duran started his musical journey at the age of 6 when his father gave him his first guitar. Duran's father was a musician playing the music scene in Boston. Duran started learning guitar by playing every chord in a song until he had it down perfectly.
''Duran's ability to hear music in the way he does and his ability to interpret the lyrics with the soul and depth that he does is pretty special,'' says Cyr. ''That can't be taught and I believe it's something you are born with.''
Duran's journey playing live music starting after he finished college at the age of 21 yrs. of age. Duran built a strong following in Boston, Massachusetts, and then he had his big break when he decided to move to Texas to chase his musical dream. It was there that he had the opportunity to audition for NBC's The Voice.
''I wasn't expecting my journey on The Voice to turn out as well as it did. It was pretty surreal. I don't think anyone who goes on the show expects to get anywhere near being in the finale. I remember standing on the stage on finale night with the last 3 contestants and we all looked at each other and said, ''I can't believe we have the opportunity to be here on this incredible stage doing something we love.''
Duran describes what it was like getting ready to go out on stage to perform in front of the world.
''I think it's pretty normal to be really nervous before going out on a stage like that I like to take a moment before performing to get in the zone. I like to really feel the lyrics and understand what I need to do to make that moment count like it's my last.''
Duran remembers the advice coach Blake Shelton shared with him before his performance on the finale night on season 17 of The Voice. He told me to deliver the lyrics so that every word is believable. If I could do that then that was exactly what fans would feel when I sang the songs chosen for the finale. I have always remembered that ever since. I chose my songs wisely.
''My interview with Ricky Duran was very special,'' says Cyr. ''There is very unique and really special about this young artist that I picked up the moment I saw him perform River in the blind auditions on The Voice. The standing ovation he received with that four-chair turn was exactly what we were all feeling cheering and watching it all from around the world. I feel even stronger that there are no bounds to what Duran can do in the music industry. He is gentle in his spirit and has a deep love of what music and lyrics can bring to someone's life. He is special beyond words. I hope that fans can hear the beauty in his music and find hope in what it's like to fight through the toughest moments in life like his sisters and Duran have done.
Duran and his family lost both their parents far too early in life and that journey can be the toughest to get through without pain and darkness. Duran shares his candid feelings about losing his father in 2012 to suicide and the darkness that surrounded that tragedy. That kind of loss is very personal and a topic that is extremely difficult to talk about. He lost his mother too a few years later. That kind of pain and loss can bury you.
''I wanted to talk more openly and unfiltered about his feelings about losing his father and what that dialog was like inside his mind and heart,'' says Kim Cyr. ''I think it is critical to talk more in-depth about what each personals journey was going through something like this. The pain is real, the circumstances in the personal stories of each individual can help someone out there that doesn't know what to do with those feelings of anger, or abandonment that comes with this type of loss. There is a flood of emotions that hit at different times. Some hit all at once. It can be pretty overwhelming and without a support system in place, a person can feel lost and trapped in that pain for life. The more raw the conversation, the more hope people have to understand what works and doesn't work for those who have lost someone to suicide.''
To hear my full interview and the beautiful music by the incredible Ricky Duran, click on the link below.
We can help by supporting Suicide Awareness Month and take action to provide hope to those who need help today.
Talk is cheap, but Ricky Duran takes action in suicide prevention this September during Suicide Awareness Month. From teaming up with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, to releasing an extremely personal song about his father who passed from suicide, Duran is determined to make a difference, not just stand on the sidelines.
Best known as the runner-up in The Voice’s seventeenth season, Ricky Duran won fans over with his story and roped viewers in with his incredible voice and stage presence. Always transparent, Duran shared that not only did his mother pass from breast cancer in 2018, but his father also passed from suicide just prior. On September 17, he has shared one of his most personal songs, “Waiting On You.”
“Waiting On You’ is a track I wrote from my father’s perspective," says the timeless artist. "In a way, I think I wrote this song as a therapeutic letter to myself that I wish I had received before his passing.”
"Waiting On You" is available now, and is available on all streaming platforms. For a full calendar of events and for additional information on how you can help, visit www.iamrickyduran.com and follow him on social media @rickyduran on Instagram and @iamrickyduran on Facebook.
This is the time to raise awareness on this stigmatized, and often taboo, topic. In addition to shifting public perception, I want to use this platform to shine a light on this month to spread hope and vital information to people affected by suicide. Our goal is to ensure that individuals, friends, and families have access to the resources they need to discuss suicide prevention and to seek help.
To check out my full interview, click on the link below. Don't forget that you can check all the interviews with the artists you love on www.musicsjourney.com. You can also listen to all the podcast interviews on all streaming platforms under Music's Journey Podcast.
Music's Journey Podcast 
TAMING SARI
Music's Journey Podcast 
Andre Pettipas and The Giants 
Photo Credit Matthew Perry
Music's Journey Podcast 
Music's Journey Podcast 
Photography by Jr. Walker 
Music's Journey Podcast 
Music's Journey Podcast 
