Tag: Ontario

LISTEN: The Lonesome Ace Stringband, “May Day” (with The Andrew Collins Trio)

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: The Lonesome Ace Stringband with The Andrew Collins Trio
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Song: “May Day”
Release Date: May 1, 2024

In Their Words: “Andrew and I wrote this tune together about 20 years ago. It was the first of May and we spent it in the sun, picking fiddle tunes, looking at flowers, and getting in the groove with the mycorrhizal network. This melody revealed itself to us in the early afternoon, setting the vibe for the rest of the day. I’ve always found this tune beguiling. It’s hard to put your finger on its mood; to me, it’s ultimately hopeful, but it has to go through a lot before it gets there! I’ve recorded ‘May Day’ three times now; each version is very different. I can’t seem to keep away from this tune! It was so wonderful for John and me to have the chance to collaborate with Andrew, Adam, and James on this release!” – Chris Coole, the Lonesome Ace Stringband

Track Credits:

Andrew Collins – Mandolin
Chris Coole – Banjo
James McEleney – Bass
Adam Shier – Guitar
John Showman – Fiddle

Video Credits: Edited by Chris Coole. P.D. archival footage filmed by Arthur Edward Pillsbur from the Prelinger Collection.
Photo Credit: Andrew Collins Trio by Andrew Collins; the Lonesome Ace Stringband by Jen Squires.

Radio Waves to Musical Bliss: Talia Schlanger’s Harmonious Journey

Posted on by Shelby Williamson

Canada’s Talia Schlanger is best known for her work in broadcasting, guest-hosting Q with Tom Power on CBC and Alec Baldwin’s “Here’s the Thing” podcast, as well as having taken over for David Dye on NPR Music’s World Cafe from WXPN in Philadelphia. Before all that, Schlanger was an actor and singer in many theater productions including Mamma Mia, Queen’s We Will Rock You, and Green Day’s American Idiot. While she has found much success in her two previous careers, something has been pulling on Talia for years. She wanted to write, record, and perform her own music. She had something to say and made the brave leap into the unknown, leaving her coveted role at World Cafe in order to say it. This culmination of events has led Talia to her debut album, Grace for Going.

LISTEN: APPLE • SPOTIFY • STITCHER • AMAZON • MP3

In our conversation, Schlanger shares insights into her upbringing in Thornhill, Ontario within a Jewish family deeply rooted in faith and family heritage. She reflects on the impact of her grandparents, Holocaust survivors whose stories shaped her childhood. Talia also talks about her unique journey from performing eight shows a week in theater productions to becoming a distinguished radio host. Her evolution as a singer, her bravery and some important boundaries have allowed her to find her authentic voice while maintaining a crucial work-life balance. Throughout the interview, she touches on themes of personal growth, acts of kindness, and her commitment to learning and curiosity, offering a fascinating glimpse into the life and career of this remarkable person.

Photo Credit: Katherine Holland

WATCH: Nicolette & The Nobodies, “Rodeo”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Nicolette & The Nobodies
Hometown: Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Song: “Rodeo”
Release Date: August 24, 2023
Label: Art Haus

In Their Words: “I gave up on being a musician a long time ago. I let some negative thoughts knock me down and keep me down. That if I wasn’t good enough then, I’d never be. ‘Rodeo,’ the song and video, is about how I got back up again. The night I walked into that karaoke, sang some songs and met my band – that was the first step to bringing me back to doing something I truly loved.” – Nicolette Hoang

Photo Credit: Dzesika Devic

LISTEN: Justin Rutledge, “Easy”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Justin Rutledge
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario
Song: “Easy”
Album: Something Easy
Release Date: May 19, 2023
Label: Outside Music

In Their Words: “I’ve always had a strange relationship with songwriting. My songs always start out like leaves in a tree — I rarely notice them until the right light hits. Sometimes it’s as if a melody falls in front of me and I pick it up. Writing ‘Easy’ was like that. ‘Easy’ was the final song I wrote for the album, and I guess you could call it the title track. The melody arrived after I got the kids to bed, happily exhausted. Most songs are trouble, they really do a number on me, but this one was kind. Songs rarely arrive this gently, although I wish they did. Mostly they just wait there, high above my head where I can’t touch them, waiting for the light to hit.” — Justin Rutledge

Photo Credit: Jen Squires

WATCH: Cat Clyde, “Everywhere I Go”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Cat Clyde
Hometown: Stratford, Ontario
Song: “Everywhere I Go”
Album: Down Rounder
Release Date: February 17, 2023
Label: Second Prize Records

In Their Words: “I mostly write songs as a way to express my feelings, ideas and thoughts about existing in the world. This song is a reflection of my feelings of letting go of the things I no longer need, while holding on to the things I hold true. It’s about change and the passing of time. How the changing nature of life and the lessons that arise within it can be learned from the natural world and explored through it. If I listen I can always hear the elements speaking to me reminding me that when things get heavy — it’s time to release and let go. Created this video during my tour across the UK in February. It was filmed by Strummer Jasson mostly around Glasgow, traveling by train toward London, and in London. I wanted to capture the movement and message of the song as we travelled along, as traveling and movement are such a big part of my life.” — Cat Clyde

Photo Credit: Strummer Jasson

WATCH: Ken Yates, “Honest Light” (Feat. Caroline Marie Brooks)

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Ken Yates
Hometown: Collingwood, Ontario, Canada
Song: “Honest Light”
Album: Cerulean
Release Date: June 3, 2022
Record Label: Soundly Music

In Their Words: “There’s a certain kind of light during ‘golden hour’ when the sun comes through your window and suddenly everything looks different. You notice the dust on your table, the dirt on your floor, the crumbs on your counter. I tried to capture that moment in song form. For a long time I only had the line, ‘Life is like a cheap wine, it don’t get any better with time,’ and I kind of built the song slowly around that one line. Our idea for the video was to capture a dark-versus-light theme between the verses and the chorus. We filmed in multiple locations around the Collingwood area, including an abandoned drive-in right at dawn. Co-producer and editor Nick Marinelli distorted a few of the frames, which really helped to capture the dizzy, anxiousness of this song. I wanted it to feel like I was moving in and out of this warped reality in the verses, then grounding myself in the darkness of the choruses.” — Ken Yates

Photo Credit: Jen Squires

WATCH: Clever Hopes, “Made You Mad”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Clever Hopes (Andrew Shaver & Eva Foote)
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Song: “Made You Mad”
Album: Artefact
Release Date: January 20, 2022

In Their Words: “With a tip of its cap to the great rock duets that gave it life, ‘Made You Mad’ is the phoenix that soars out of love’s fiery demise. A reminder that, even when it is your fault, it’s going to be ok. It’s the kind of brokenhearted love song that might come too late to fix it, but just in time to try again. This is the song that documents the catalyst for the breakup and, as such, the album. It’s also the first song Eva and I worked on together. We had sorted out harmony lines for her, but it was originally written just from my perspective. We were days away from recording before we realized that we needed to divvy up the verses to really tell the story properly. We switched the pronouns and it came to life in a whole new way. I can’t imagine it otherwise now. It became the blueprint for how we approached the rest of the album in-studio.” — Andrew Shaver, Clever Hopes

Photo Credit: Ian Lake

BGS 5+5: AHI

Posted on by Editor

Artist: AHI
Hometown: Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Latest Album: Prospect, out November 5, 2021
Rejected band names: UrbanPeasant (high school rap name) and Back To Now (University band name)

What was the first moment that you knew you wanted to be a musician?

Before I left home to backpack across Ethiopia, I gave away, sold or just plain threw away hundreds of CDs — the only thing I kept was my Bob Marley stuff. I felt like nothing contemporary was speaking to me the way The Wailers did, even though this was music from before I was born. So I said to myself, if there’s no contemporary music that gets me through life the way Bob Marley does, then I’ll teach myself how to play guitar and sing, and I’ll make the music that I need to hear. Because if I need it, I know someone else out there does too.

Which elements of nature do you spend the most time with and how do those impact your work?

The crescent moon is probably the most captivating thing in nature to me. The moon in general. For some reason the moon makes me feel less alone and less on the outside of everything. We’re all looking at the same moon and it connects me to something bigger than myself. I want my music to connect us to each other and give people the reassurance that they’re not alone.

What other art forms — literature, film, dance, painting, etc — inform your music?

Life is an art form. And I try to draw everything from real life. My own life, people I know, my family, my friends. There’s art in struggle, hardships, and triumphs of life.

What’s the toughest time you ever had writing a song?

The song “Until You” went through more changes than any song I’ve ever written, before ultimately becoming the first single off my upcoming album Prospect. I had a base melody that I knew was special, but just couldn’t figure out where on earth the song was trying to go. The first conception of the song was written in 2017 and it took me over three years to get it to a place where I was happy with it. I have at least three or four completely different versions of that song on my computer, with different titles and everything, but it was worth the struggle.

If you had to write a mission statement for your career, what would it be?

I found my voice through music, so I write songs to help you find yours.

Photo courtesy of ShoreFire
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WATCH: Digging Roots, “Cut My Hair”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Digging Roots
Hometown: Barrie, Ontario, Canada
Song: “Cut My Hair”
Album: Zhawenim
Release Date: 2022
Label: Ishkōdé Records

In Their Words: “‘Cut My Hair’ is a mishkiki (medicine) song about the Indian Residential School experience which is directly linked to genocide, colonialism, oppression, and the actions that this country is built upon. While our families were taken from their homes and sent to these horrible Canadian institutions, we were the last generation to not attend, but consequently suffer from over 100 years of generational effects. With the growing present findings of over 6,000 buried children at Residential Schools across Canada this song was written as an attempt to focus our energies in a positive and grounded direction. Where does one go when one’s people have suffered this much? It gets funnelled into belting out lyrics that feel meaningful and playing slide guitar until my bellbottoms quiver because the amplifier is cranked. We believe in the transformative power of music and its healing effects, this is our offering.” — Raven Kanatakta, Digging Roots

Photo credit: Ratul Debnath

WATCH: Chris Coole, “My Name Is Lie”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Chris Coole
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario
Song: “My Name Is Lie”
Release Date: August 13, 2021

In Their Words: “I guess this song is a banjo-y meditation on the post-truth era we seem so hopelessly bogged down in. It’s sung from the perspective of the lie itself. I was inspired by the Dock Boggs song, ‘A Conversation With Death’ or ‘O Death,’ where death is given a voice. So, if a lie could talk, ‘My Name Is Lie’ is what I imagine it might be saying in today’s world. I’m not sure how obvious it is, but the last two verses deal with the Pandora’s box that is social media and how it has allowed lies to access ‘light speed’ so to speak.” — Chris Coole

Photo credit: Tyler Knight