You’ll never know what’s out there unless you go and see for yourself. One thing is for certain...you do not want to miss out on James Blonde’s newly released single “FOMO” and the first batch of tour dates announced for 2023, including stops in Toronto, Kingston, Montreal, New York City, Cleveland, Nashville, and a hometown concert in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Check it out on YouTube here:

This track starts off with a high energy guitar riff which immediately gives off wild and frantic vibes. The band captures their emotional state of frustration of what’s going on in their minds and releases it with the purpose of getting you to feel their same energy.

Hooks and harmonies. Jangly guitars, groovy rhythms, and influences including the Beatles and Badfinger. No drama, no gimmicks. Just good people and good tunes. For Toronto’s Mr! Mouray, it’s all about making music with catchy melodies and a classic rock-and-roll spirit and doing it on their own terms.

Bandleader Simon Bedford-James formed the group upon deciding that after 30+ years on the music scene it was time to re-evaluate his role as a songwriter/performer, leave what had become an unsatisfactory situation, and step into the spotlight as a frontman of a new project. He put together a crew of trusted veteran musicians to help arrange and interpret his original songs, and together they’ve become a power-pop force to be reckoned with.

Joining singer/guitarist Bedford-James (formerly of Swedish Fish, Moving Targetz, The Last Band and more) are his ex-Moving Targetz bandmate Jaimie Vernon on bass, Nelson Pereira (The Last Band) on guitar, and fellow Swedish Fish alumnus Craig Adams on drums.

American folk singer-songwriter Tatiana Moroz announces new album Love Songs For Idiots set to release on March 23, 2023. The album focuses on all the emotions someone may feel when playing the game of love. Whether it be heartache, forgiving or happiness, Moroz explores it all in this forthcoming album. “Keep The Faith”

Listen on Spotify here: open.spotify.com/track/2wOxHfCkmcTno5GSlfW89S?si=24a3bb5d3d324445&nd=1

Along with her passion for music, Moroz has been a driving force and vocal advocate in the blockchain & Web3 community since 2012, speaking at conferences around the world. In 2014, she created the world’s first artist coin, TATIANACOIN, which funded her 3rd album “Keep The Faith.”

Listen to “Keep The Faith” on YouTube here:

Hailing from New York and now based in Charlotte, North Carolina as well as Honolulu, Hawaii, Feez Da Popstar is showing off his romantic side in his new single "All I Need Is." It was alongside K-Pop singer Seeon Kang, whose vocals feature on the track. The single comes from Feez Da Popstar's new album Life of A Popstar, which releases this summer.

Watch “All I Need Is” on YouTube here:

When you realize what type of love that you want and need for yourself, it is only natural to want to show that love to the world. "All I Need Is' accomplishes this in two ways: One is through Feez Da Popstar's casual and sincere rap delivery. The other is with Seeon Kang's soothing vocals, which add to the courtship going on in the lyrics.

Saskatchewan-based collective, People of the Sun, is a unifying force bringing together people of different cultural backgrounds, ages, genders, and faiths to create impactful hip-hop and funk music and to be an example of inclusion and reconciliation in and for our community.

Part of the Sharp 5 Records family, their self-titled debut album showcases their absorbing and sonically layered music. People of the Sun’s songs were recorded “live off the floor” to showcase that not every beat and note needs to be perfect — striving for something human during inhuman times. The collective wrote the final product as every member was given free rein to draw from their inspirations on the theme.

“We have eight people in our crew, all talented in their own way, each with their own story,” says guitarist/producer Erik Mehlsen. “There's not a second to be bored on the whole album; you get a buffet of personalities to fill your plate every time.”

Recording artists Fog Blues & Brass Band capture the wild energy of a Saturday night at a packed blues bar into their latest single, “Why Get Up.” And it’s no accident, because the blues banger came to life in front of an audience before it ever saw the inside of a recording studio.

Watch and listen on YouTube here:

Hailing from Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, the seven-piece Fog Blues & Brass Band is fresh off the heels of their successful debut album, Into the Fog. The album gained them nods for their unique spin on the traditional rock and blues sound, encompassing commanding vocals, harmonies, guitars, keys and horns. Each single off the 2018 album has garnered radio play in Canada and abroad, and the band is also known for their powerhouse live performances at venues and festivals.

One of the most prolific and authentic voices in independent music, Sarantos has delivered his latest single, “Somethin’ to Believe In” – available now! The emotional rock ballad, accompanied by a compelling music video, walks a tightrope between hope and hopelessness. But the space in between isn’t empty – it’s where Sarantos finds himself, and he hopes the listener will as well.

Check out "Somethin' to Believe In" on YouTube here:

San Francisco singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Said Sara (aka David Benson) has released a stark, minimalist acoustic ballad “Same.” Check it out on YouTube here:

 Recorded at The Guest Room and Yosemite Studios in Benson’s hometown of San Francisco, and mastered by Jesse Nichols at The Atomic Garden West in nearby Oakland, “Same” is a richly dark and cathartic song about the torment of wanting and missing, and how we torture ourselves even further to crush those feelings.

Over a bed of acoustic guitar, banjo, and piano, Benson effortlessly carries “Same” with his raw, pointed vocals, which recall Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, and Cat Stevens.Skinned alive

It can be both exciting and intimidating for a new band to enter a music scene, and UK-based The Goodstock Project addresses, with deep candor, all the conflicting emotions of that very situation on their driving, stadium-inspired new single “Be The One.” Check it out on YouTube here:

“Be The One” starts out pounding and soaring, and singer June Holland’s vibrato glides above and between the instrumentation like a colorful, gently fluttering bird. “Gotta get me/ Some of that wrinkle cream/ Help smooth out my smile lines,” she sings, referring to the forced smiles of an uncomfortable, or fake, situation.

“The lyrics and inspiration behind this tune are about assessing the way a music scene is developing, and having a true belief that you are worthy of being part of it,” the band divulges. “Or better still, standing apart from it and achieving success independently.”

Music has always been a form of artistic expression. It can also be used as a tool to bring focus to events that can impact us and the world we live in. Rusty Creek’s newly released single – “Bombs Away” which is available now, does exactly that.

Check out “Bombs Away” on YouTube here:

You can hear the smooth country blues vocals of lead singer Alex Deeth narrating a story of what it’s like for the innocent people who have been affected by the evils of war. “This song was originally written back in the 1980s”, Deeth explains. “I was writing about the bombing of Britain during WWII. But eventually, the Vietnam War, The Iraq War, Afghanistan War and then Syria and now the disgusting Russian War against the Ukraine. So, the song unfortunately becomes a song for the ages. The song is an anti-war song.”

Heartbreak can be a painful experience, especially when a break up leaves young women feeling like they're the one that is broken.

Italian-born, Singaporean based singer Matilde G sheds some new light on heartbreak in her latest single and music video "Hypocrite" produced by Karl-Oskar Gummesson from The Kennel AB and co-written with Josefin Glenmark and Isak Alvedahl. 

Watch and listen to "Hypocrite" on YouTube here:

 With hip-hop influenced pop beats sprinkled with a pinch of piano, Matilde G renounces the notion that she is nothing without her former lover. He ended up being no good for her and she knows she deserves better, so why wallow in self-pity?

"But you’re holding me back
No you’re no good for me
And your making hard for me to pull out of your gravity
you broke me but I still come back for round three now"

When you picture The Band, you have Elliott Landy’s photographs in your mind. He took the legendary photos in their 1968 album, Music From Big Pink and THE BAND, their self-titled 1969 album. But there’s more where those came from. A whole lot more!

Elliott Landy took some of the most iconic photographs in rock’n’roll history. He was the official photographer at the 1969 Woodstock festival. His portraits of Bob Dylan and Van Morrison are on the covers of Nashville Skyline and Moondance, respectively. His work has been featured in major magazines. exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide for over 50 years. He has published 12 books devoted exclusively to his photographs.

In 2015, Landy published The Band Photographs, 1968-1969 with the help of Kickstarter. It became the highest funded music photography book in Kickstarter history.

Since he released his debut album Afflictions and Remedies in 2015, Joe Kenney has been lauded as one of the most unique and innovative artists on the classical music scene. Garnering praise and press attention for his singular ability to flawlessly merge a variety of musical genres and styles, Kenney has a rare gift for blending classical music theory, jazz fusion, rock, soul, and hip-hop. In the eight years since he began his career, he has released five critically acclaimed albums, all featuring both original compositions and transformative cover arrangements. His cover of the Twenty-One Pilots hit Stressed Out was hailed as “perfection” by DJ Wendy Rollins of WXPN and his 2020 multi-genre collaboration album, Forth, won a bronze medal in the online “Global Music Awards” competition and was featured on 85 stations in the US and Canada. Kenney’s 2022 solo piano album, Reflections on Inner Transformation, charted at #15 on the Zone Music Reporter Charts. Kenney has also built an incredible reputation as a live performer with his band, packing such esteemed venues as City Winery, World Café Live, Heritage, and SOUTH Jazz Club.

Aroly Tariq invites the listener into a rich sonic and visual landscape with her latest single, “Perspective,” and its mesmerizing accompanying film clip. “Perspective” is a mellow trip-hop ballad with a distinctly modern flair, weaving trap-inspired beats with electronic elements, unexpected samples and ethereal vocals. Tariq interprets the sound within the visual structure of the animated film clip, a stunning tableau in motion she brought to life using the multimedia programming tool Touch Designer.

Check out “Perspective” on YouTube here:

Calgary, Alberta duo The Wandering Off are set to capture your attention January 27 with “Hey There,” the first single off their 12-track self-titled debut album. Check it out on YouTube here:

It’s an upbeat blast of catchy, grungy, 90s inspired rock with crunchy guitars, melodic hooks and memorable vocal melodies that wears the subtle influence of bands like Garbage and Letters to Cleo on its sleeve. “Hey There” celebrates the beauty of imperfection, the art of not worrying about the mistakes you’ve made, because after all, as Emily Corner sings, you “Can’t please ‘em all, cuz when you jump you fall.”

Their sound is at once familiar and nostalgic as well as fresh and new. Like finding a brand-new sweater styled along classic lines, The Wandering Off combines comfort and excitement in one neat, chiming package, with catchy vocal melodies to boot.

A blank canvas is full of possibility—much like the partnership of Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy, whose new album Canvas comes out March 17, 2023. They are two of the world’s top Celtic fiddlers: she a renowned, award-winning solo artist from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia; he from the legendary Leahy family of Ontario, an intergenerational musical act that toured the world. They were married in 2002, by which point their cumulative album sales topped one million. A power couple was born.

Canvas is only their third album together. They approached it not bound by easy patterns or habits, but as a blank canvas. “Creativity comes when there is space for it,” says MacMaster. “One thing Donnell and I were given in 2020 was the space and time to be creative, to think and focus and find what was inside of us. Like an empty canvas, our minds were clear, open for the music that was about to flow. There were no restrictions, rules, agendas, considerations. As Donnell often said, ‘Let the music decide.’ So, we indulged in full musical freedom, throwing patterns of the past aside. With a few challenges along the way, it was a delight from beginning to end.”

True North Records today announced the signing of Meredith Moon and the forthcoming release of her new album, Constellations, a blisteringly honest but astonishing body of work that easily puts her neatly in the footsteps of her father, Gordon Lightfoot. Constellations is set to be released March 31st, 2023. 

Check out Meredith Moon Constellations on YouTube here:

Director Alexander Sharp serves up sexy, slithery vampire with a steely, black-and-white grindhouse aesthetic in the video for Josh Jones & Trevor Kidd’s “Salvation”

Laser-sharp closeups of a pick strumming a guitar string, a drumstick hitting a cymbal, and the beater hitting the bass drum highlight the slowed-down sensuality of the song’s intro, while overexposed film negatives flash over longer shots of the band performing. The result is a dark, gothic vibe that matches the stalking, crawling, gasping progression of “Salvation” – “Are you hungry for it?”

I feel the rush of the chemicals kicking in
I feel the touch of your talons on my skin
I feel you play me like a violin
I feel you take us where we've never been

You can hear the love through her music as the multi-talented performing artist, Harriet Chung proclaims in her latest single, “Today and Tomorrow” -

 “Today and Tomorrow” explores the deeper meaning of a bond created between a mother and her child. This beautiful melody is featured as the 2^nd track on her newly released first solo album – “A World Away”, that dives into the meaning and importance of human connection.

Chung takes you on a dreamy, acoustic journey that explores the emotional give and take of a relationship between a mother and her child. You can hear her longing to recapture those memories between herself and her mother as she narrates the chorus:

There is magic inside each and every one of us, and it’s our job to mold it into something great.

That is the theme behind Swedish-Danish artist Frida Maria’s latest single, appropriately titled “Magic.”

Listen to “Magic” on YouTube:

In “Magic,” Frida explains the energy and possibility within each of our own realities. We have the power to shape our personal experiences, transforming the abstract feelings and visions in our minds into something we can touch, see, and live. This is what makes us all our own magicians.

“Everything I feel right now
It’s in my heart
Everything I see right now
It’s in my mind
Baby, can we be right now
Oh, let me, let me hold you in my arms
‘Cause everything I breathe right now
It’s life, oh, and it’s ours”