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, and where to check them out in your favorite Canadian city! Pack your bags! We’re going on a road trip!
With her sparkling sophomore release, I Love Being Here With You, songstress Dione Taylor has emerged as a fully-formed and exciting young artist. While unmistakably a jazz album, I Love Being Here With You reflects Dione Taylor’s love and background in gospel, rhythm & blues and soul. Her rich and smoky voice has a truly soulful quality, one attractively complemented by her keenly trained musical ear. Continue reading ‘Dione Taylor’
Stepchyle is a seven piece hard-hitting original Funk/Soul band that will get people out of their seats and on to the dance floor. The Stepchyle sound is fresh, featuring funk, soul and jazz fusion. Continue reading ‘Stepchyle’
Serena Ryder is just 24. But her voice, a deep, bluesy, soulful instrument that has drawn comparisons to Janis Joplin and Aretha Franklin, makes her sound much older. She also appears wise beyond her years, blessed with an intelligence and confidence that came across in her songs on Unlikely Emergency, her critically acclaimed independent album. She’s definitely an old soul. Ryder’s extraordinary major-label debut, If Your Memory Serves You Well, involves no time-traveling or reincarnation. But it does feature the native of Millbrook, Ontario covering vintage Canadian songs-some of them written more than 70 years before she was born-with remarkable authority. From Shelton Brooks’ “Some of These Days,” recorded by the likes of Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday,” to Percy Faiths’ “My Heart Cries for You,” previously recorded by Ray Charles and Ben E. King, Ryder sings with enough passion and conviction to make them her own. She delivers a stunning rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Sisters of Mercy” and a scorching version of “This Wheel’s on Fire,” which Bob Dylan co-wrote with The Band’s Rick Danko. Continue reading ‘Serena Ryder’
2007 Juno and Gemini Award nominated singer-songwriter Kellylee Evans is a unique voice in the urban-jazz world, and many of today’s top musicians have taken notice. With a smooth style that slides through jazz, soul, R & B, blues and world music rhythms, Kellylee’s calming sound speaks volumes; Rich, soothing, robust and energizing, and with a songwriting talent being compared to Elvis Costello, Aimee Mann and Ron Sexsmith, this eclectic artist ignites inspiration. Continue reading ‘Kellylee Evans in profile: Fight or Flight?’
Gotsoul is a two-fold company founded by a hip and talented team of musicians, DJ’s and producers, along with specialists in PR and Marketing. As a record label Gotsoul specializes in soulful music and eclectic music. According to them, anything that embodies true soul music can be seen and heard from Gotsoul. As a production company, Gotsoul houses an experienced and serious team in image-making, branding, and event planning.The label has included such awesome artists as Jojoflores, Mike Fresco, Osunlade, Trevor Walker, Rise Ashen, Santos, Jaffa, Miguel Graca, Soulcreation, Kenny Bobien, Fred Everything, Bodhi Satva, Nick Holder, Esperanza, and many more.
Gotsoul will, of course, be attending WMC 2008 and we’ll be right there with them!
Check in next week when TCR reports straight from the Winter Music Conference in Miami!
The ElastoCitizens were founded in Toronto in the fall of 2004 with one goal: to make people dance.
With theatrical grandeur and ecstatic stage shows, they’ve endeavoured to bring their brand of heavy groove, feel good music to the masses. Their massive, sexy, euphoria-inducing concerts have left legions of fans begging for more.
Their shows are a combination of throwback soul complete with Motown/Shangri-la brand choreography blended with a high-energy punk-funk intensity reminiscent of early Chili Peppers. One song rolls into the next in the style of a 1967 James Brown show, stirring the crowds into a smiling, sweaty, dancing frenzy.
The ElastoCitizens are a total experience that have to be seen to be believed.
So, naturally, here’s an upcoming show for you to check out:
May 10th, 2008 – Lee’s Palace w. The Heavy @ 529 Bloor St. W (Toronto, ON)
Bambi Blue
Jojoflores is famous for his Garage, Deep House and Afro-Latin rhythms. His signature sound resonates sweet, soulful melodies and a profound jazzy vibe. An original B-Boy and a fan of street & dance culture, he is blessed with the versatility to play old school Hip Hop, Funk, and Soul from the early 80’s. 
After 24 years of devotion to the underground music industry, he was awarded New York City’s Best International DJ 3 years in a row (2002, 2003 & 2004) by Undaground Archives. Jojoflores’ hometown recognized the boundlessness of his skills with Montreal’s 1998 Best Club DJ Sounds of Blackness Award and has been rated one of Montreal’s Top 3 DJ’s for three years in a row.
CEO/A&R of Gotsoul Recordings, and the man behind the underground promo label Jamsteady, Jojoflores is one of Canada’s leading ambassadors for soulful music. Gotsoul was recently awarded Montreal’s number one independent record label in Summer 2004 as well as Best International Independent Label 2003 by NYC’s Underground Archives. He has toured North America with Osunlade of Yoruba Records and has established honorary residencies in the cities of New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Singapore, Manila, Athens and Toronto & Miami. Jojoflores’ sound is deeply blissful, reminding us that life should be true, loving and joyful, embarking us on a journey that oozes all that is wonderful.
Catch Jojoflores on tour:
Sat. March 8th Karu-Y 1st Year Anniversary [Miami]
Sun. March 9th Deep with Marques Wyatt [Los Angeles]
Mon. March 10th BBR [Vision, Chicago]
Thu. March 13th Gotsoul Sessions [Segafredo, Montreal]
Sat. March 15th Therapy Montreal [Cherry, Old Montreal]
Mon. March 17th Lacoste 75th Year Anniversary [Ultra , Toronto]
Thu. March 20th Therapy Classic House [Cherry, Old Montreal]
Wed. March 26th Gotsoul Therapy WMC08 [Karu-Y, Downtown Miami]
Bambi Blue
Toronto. Ontario. Canada. The streets are alive with the sound of music. Ditto the clubs, lounges, restaurants, community radio stations, wa
rehouses, and studio spaces. This city is bursting at the seams, mad with talented producers, musicians and DJ’s creating fresh sounds. There’s a reason for the increasing international buzz surrounding this bustling city: a music scene is truly coming into its own. Toronto based beats guru John Kong has been pushing at these bursting seams with his bare hands for years. He’s grown with the scene, DJing since the early 90’s and turning his love of jazz, soul, house and all things deep into a career that now earns him global gigs and respect. John Kong cares about music, not categories.
Witness Required Listening. Born from Kong’s desire to showcase some of the quality tunes he was hearing friends make, the collection is a snapshot of T.O.’s club-centric music scene as it stands now. John has ears to be trusted. Required Listening features all Toronto artists (with the notable exception of Ottawa’s B.A.W. Collective), and covers some seriously diverse musical terrain.
“Listen to the beats of Moonstarr or the hip-hop of Brassmunk“, exclaims John Kong, Do Right Music label boss. “They’re totally doing their own thing!
It’s the same with house and someone like Nick Holder … he has a totally unique sound. We here in Toronto may take all of that for granted, but when people from overseas hear this music, they’re like ‘This is different; it’s not what I’m used to.’ It’s totally Toronto.”
Bambi Blue
Imagine a cold winter night in Toronto, walking past a small jazz club, when you catch through the folds of your scarf the warm deep grooves of a jazz trio playing to an intimate crowd. Welcome to the scene a fresh new sound from singer/songwriter Elizabeth Shepherd.
There are times when something new comes along at once familiar and yet completely original. The album Start to Mo
ve from the Elizabeth Shepherd Trio is just that. But what’s more she has added her own unique blend of jazz-funk, soul, blues, and samba to the fundamentals of Jazz – improvising a deep driving bass from Scott Kemp, the swinging beat of the drum from Colin Kingsmore, and Elizabeth’s playful piano and captivating voice to tie it all together.
Playing in some of Toronto’s most popular spots, the Rex Hotel, the Supermarket, and the Distillery District, and has grace the stages from around the world including London UK’s Jazz Cafe twice within one year!. She has also appeared on numerous ‘Live in Ses
sion’ including Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide show on BBC Radio 1 UK, and Matt Galloway’s Here And Now show on CBC Radio One Toronto. As far as being a “jazz performer”, Elizabeth does not count herself as one to be defined by a particular genre; her music comes straight from the soul, and is more than just what she does, but what she loves.
The album, Start to Move is Elizabeth’s debut with Do Right Music.
Bambi Blue
Straight out of Montreal, the VooDooMonx has been growing strong since its inception, and ”hard work, determination and love for the art” has been their motto! H
aving picked up many fans along the way, their musical genre could easily be described as: ‘’soul oriented, yet funk driven”. The VooDoo Style, is the result of an amalgamation of styles and influences floating from the ever powerful James Brown, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Dave Mathews Band. Generally qualified as groovy and commercially appealing, The VooDooMonx showmanship has been known to please a vast inter-generational public.
”The Monx” was formed 12 years ago by three individuals determined to rock the global music scene. Now a four piece outfit, the boys seek to unveil a renewed dynamic sound for the souls of those who share a love for world music and omni-directional musical explosiveness.
Mercury Lounge Thursday March 20 9pm
Bambi Blue