TRANSCANADARADIO is proud to celebrate Canada’s Current Cultural artists and their locations! Traveling across Canada’s vast surface and finding the best of the under and above-ground artists who are rooted in, Soul, Funk, Reggae, Beats, House, Breaks and all that afro-Jazz… and where to check them out in your favorite Canadian city! Pack your bags! We’re going on a road trip!
If it’s true that there is a tendency for young bands to wear their influences on their sleeves, the Sweet Homewreckers evidently can’t decide which shirt to throw on. Formed in the small university town of Peterborough, ON, the Sweet Homewreckers are six-piece rock and roll outfit. They’re tight enough to show the contours, but loose enough to let you move around. Take your basic two guitars, bass and drums, and throw in some horns for added appeal. As for the contents of their closet, the ensemble is quite eclectic. Their music has been described as harkening to the days of “Halifax East-coast pop, with a long awaited nod to early Beulah” and “a fine mix of soft pop influences with hints of sweet 60s styles.” Truth be told, it’s hard to peg this band down, and as fans of anything-goes independent rock and/or roll, these young players couldn’t be happier.
That’s the Spirit is the latest incarnation of Ottawa’s Ben Wilson - a multi-instrumentalist and well-known staple of the local scene - releasing his own brand of haunting, catchy space-folk on his debut L.P., Staying Places on September 23, 2008 (CD and digital).
TransCanada Radio reader favourite Mark Berube has got some newly listed concert dates! But, if you’re in the Ottawa area on August 18th, he’ll be playing at Ottawa’s own Mercury Lounge with special guest Ritalin! Should be an awesome show. TransCanada Radio will be there. Will you?
18 Aug 2008 20:00 Mercury Lounge - w/ Ritallin Ottawa, ON
19 Aug 2008 20:00 Cervejaria - fundraiser for the Toronto Slam Team Toronto, ON
21 Aug 2008 21:00 L’inspecteur Epingle - Solo Monreal, Qc
26 Aug 2008 21:00 Divan Orange Montreal, Qc
29 Aug 2008 21:00 Sala Rossa - Broadcast Radio CD Release party Montreal, Qc
25 Sep 2008 17:00 Cabaret Just For Laughs Montreal
25 Sep 2008 21:00 Cabaret Just For Laughs Montreal
Taking inspiration from the music of the legendary French jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, Halifax’s Gypsophilia combines hot jazz and European gypsy music, adding their own modern edge and fusing elements of tango, klezmer, funk, and classical in their original music. Admired by listening and dancing audiences young and old, the group’s passionate, exciting and sophisticated sound has quickly catapulted them to unprecedented jazz popularity in Nova Scotia. Not simply a Gypsy-jazz cover band, Gypsophilia’s unique voice comes from the fusion of the members’ diverse musical and artistic backgrounds, as well as from their innovative and eclectic original repertoire. Initially formed for an appearance at the 2004 TD Canada Trust Atlantic Jazz Festival, the band was impressed with the immediate and passionate audience response.
Don’t forget to check out Laura Barrett this Thursday at Hugh’s Room in Toronto! It promises to be a really awesome show.
If you don’t remember much about Laura Barrett (as, of course, you should), check out our previous profile of her here. (As a side note, she’ll be playing with Royal Wood. So here’s your chance to check him out as well.)
14 Aug 2008 20:00 Hugh’s Room Toronto
16 Aug 2008 20:00 Summerworks @ Theatre Centre Toronto
20 Sep 2008 20:00 LOLA festival London
Some exciting news for fans and friends of Spiral Beach: They are releasing a disc of brand new recordings (unofficially) entitled Bonus! EP. And the even-better news? They’re holding a contest for anyone who’d like to create the artwork for this brand new bonus material disc!
The disc will be only be available in stores attached to copies of their newest album BALL, but the artwork you create will appear online as a downloadable CD sleeve and they’re offering to send the winner some physical copies as well as a few T-shirts with their design printed on them.
Emma-Lee, a beautiful little songbird out of Toronto, has just released a new album called Never Just A Dream. The above track, ‘That Sinking Feeling’, for your listening pleasure, is off of this new album. I certainly hope it inspires you to go check her out live - absolutely worth your while!
The foundation of Never Just A Dream is built on a collection of songs inspired by the sort of heartache that is universal to anyone who has lived a life worth living. The sound is at times swingin’ jazz, at others dreamy 50’s pop, with hints of folk and blues all delivered by a voice rich and sweet as a red velvet cupcake. In the years penning Never Just a Dream she listened to a lot of AM oldies radio, drawing on the power of disguising the complex with the kind of familiarity that warms you up like an episode of Leave it to Beaver on a snow day.
Here’s an update for you: If you haven’t yet seen Royal Wood in concert, do yourself a huge favour and make sure to be at Hugh’s Room on August 14th (that’s Thursday, folks) or at the Peterborough Folk Festival on August 22nd. If you missed my glowing recommendation of Royal Wood the first time around, be sure to check it out. And, as further convincing - check out the video above. How can you resist that voice? (…and that pretty face? Heh.)
Upcoming shows:
14 Aug 2008 20:00 Hugh’s Room with Laura Barrett Toronto
22 Aug 2008 12:00 Peterborough Folk Festival Peterborough
Dyad came together to play traditional American Old Time music after delving into everything from indie-rock and punk to classical and traditional music of various cultures. The Vancouver-based trio of Kori Miyanishi (vocals, banjo, fiddle), Leah Abramson (vocals, guitar) and Mark Beaty (cello, vocals), digs deep into song and instrumental traditions of the Appalachian mountain region of the USA, while incorporating these varied influences and expanding traditional themes into modern arrangements of original, traditional and contemporary song.
The band’s most recent album, No Pedlars or Preachers, was released in 2006 to enthusiastic international reviews and a Canadian Folk Music Award nomination for Best New/Emerging artist. With Be Good Tanyas bassist Mark Beaty returning to his first instrument, the cello, DYAD continues to pioneer onwards with their wholly fresh approach to traditional music and taking live shows into a more experimental stringband approach, blurring the line between old and new.
Hailing from Toronto, Jamesking brings the sort of fresh perspective on R&B that the genre has quite frankly been waiting for. Harking back to a time when popular R&B/Funk was a means of musical expression and not just a formula, Jamesking creates intricate, smooth, hip and relevant music. Songwriter/guitarist Duff Demirovic has crafted a unique sound, aided by first class musicians Ran Caspi, Ilian Iliev and Vlada Mladenovic. Add to all of this the heavenly vocals of Gyles and you have an explosive mix that will keep your feet tapping throughout.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=d2b4597b-8dd9-461e-b6ed-a13173e88a9d)
