New Saskie Singles Released

Eric Taylor, Alex Runions, Tenille Arts, Johnny Hatch & Lost Disciples, Kendal, Tyler Gilbert, Black Top, Donjames Leblanc, Jeff D. Michel, Rough and Wretched, J.J. Voss

by SaskMusic

June 1, 2015 in Artist News

Johnny Hatch & Lost Disciples released their new single “Bones About It” in January. A song about left field time sucks that happen in life, it’s a hard-rocking single (with a dark, early Tragically Hip vibe). The song rips in the pocket with Johnny on vocals, guitar, and guitar wizard Morgan Hughes ripping some choice solos and riffs. (Morgan played in the acclaimed band Funkenstein). The song has Jed Evens (drums) and Dave Fries (bass) and was co-produced with the talented Mark Schmidt at Northern Town Sound in Regina. Bones About It was produced with the kind support of Creative Saskatchewan. Hear the song on Soundcloud, Facebook, etc and iTunes. The band is recording more electric songs and booking shows for 2015 (info@musicmusic.ca).

Singer-songwriter Kendal released her second single, “Lighthouse,” on February 13 in the spirit of Valentine’s Day. “I wanted to release my song on that date because of the deeper meaning it has for me personally,” she says. “I wrote it for my partner, we met on Valentine’s Day, which is also her birthday, so it’s a very special day for us. This single release was part of her 25th birthday present, and marked our 5 year anniversary.” Kendal’s first single “Fire” was released in October 2014, and has received ongoing local radio support. Kendal embraces her Aboriginal ancestry, and quirky personality. Her lyrics are honest expressions of emotion, and insightful outlook on life. Backed by powerful vocals, her brand of pop music is unique and offers a refreshing perspective to the Saskatchewan music scene. Kendal has recently made it into the CBC Searchlight Regional semi-Finalists with “Lighthouse” (www.facebook.com/kendalmusic).

Tyler Gilbert released his first-ever original Christmas single “Christmas Night”, featured in the Episode 19 of “Saskatchewan Side A” podcast. He’s currently writing songs for upcoming album “The Montana Kid”, to be released late 2015. He also undertook a Western USA tour with Mary Caroline in April, playing the majority of shows in California, and has released brand new “Montana Kid” T-shirts designed by local graphic artist Harley at Necrographix. A new music video for “Continously” is out now, premiered by BlankTV. Tyler is now endorsed by Steve Clayton Picks and Shubb Capos. (www.tylergilbert.ca).

BlackTop released single “Sacci Gucci Polo” in November, from upcoming EP “More Than A Few Dope Words V II.“ Chiso Chipanshi aka BlackTop is an artist from Regina and a member of CJE hip hop crew. He’s been releasing music on the underground.

Donjames Leblanc released latest single, “The Girl on the Ladder” on April 6 (www.donjamesleblanc.com).

Jeff D. Michel released new single “Love You A Little While” in December. Jeff is no stranger to the Saskatchewan music industry, having played in bands such as Generation ‘M’ since 1987 and Shattered since the late ‘90s. Although Generation ‘M’ has since hung up the collective guitar straps and sticks, it was during the writing sessions for the upcoming Shattered album that “Love You A Little While” took form. As with many of Jeff D. Michel’s songs, inspiration often comes in the form of human interaction and “Love You A Little While” does exactly that. Lyrically, it explores the themes of love, and follows the story of a young man and woman who separately struggle to find a lasting love of their own and in the end, find each other (www.facebook.com/jeffdmichelmusic).

Rough and Wretched debuted original song “Ride On” during their performance on Telemiracle 39. The hard rock/metal group is looking forward to lots of great shows around the province this summer (www.reverbnation.com/Rough_and_Wretched).

JJ Voss released a third song, “Playing for Keeps,” to international radio outlets in Europe, UK, Japan, Australia in February, having done well with previous tracks “You Pull Away” and“It’s a Pride Thing” reaching #23 on the Indieworld Country Charts. The new single is currently at #6 on Real Country Radio in Japan. JJ and his team are working on live dates in Europe and the UK for an August tour (www.jjvoss.com).

Alex Runions’ new single, “Passenger Seat” from his upcoming sophomore CD, “South of the City,” is currently doing well at commercial radio. “Passenger Seat” was written by Runions and award-winning songwriter Joni Delaurier, and is tracked at radio by Lauren Tutty of Lauren Tutty Promotions. It is a heartfelt song about the loss of someone in your life – be it a relationship, a family member or someone close to you. Runions was nominated for 3 2015 SCMAs in the categories of Male Vocalist of the Year, Fan’s Choice Entertainer of the Year and Single of the Year (for “Little Bit of Sunshine”). He also won Big Dog 92.7 and SaskMusic’s 2013 Next Big Thing contest, which opened the door for the production of his forthcoming CD, recorded at two-time CCMA Studio of the Year MCC Recording Studios (Calgary AB). The new album is scheduled to launch this summer and will be supported by a bevy of tour dates (www.alexrunions.com).

Eric Taylor and Great Canadian Entertainment Inc., a new creative content company, have announced their partnership. Eric’s debut single “Caught Me”, released May 4, is the first in a series of four singles that will roll out this year ahead of his debut EP, “Dreams in Colour” in the fall of 2015. Caught Me was recorded on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, at the studio of famed record producer GGGarth Richardson, produced and recorded by James Peter Watkins and Sean McLean Carrie. It’s moody, powerful, and catchy, perfectly capturing Eric’s unique brand of songwriting. The song was recently selected for SaskMusic’s InTune 2015 compilation CD, and Eric made it through to the regional finals of the CBC Searchlight competition, as well as to the Top 10 of the Nimbus School of Recording Arts 2015 Recording Competition. Great Canadian Entertainment partners with young talented artists mentoring them through the development of their careers.

Tenille Arts released single “Breathe” on April 14, with 100% of iTunes proceeds going to Cystic Fibrosis Canada to help fund valuable research and provide care to all those living with CF. The song quickly reached #6 on the Country iTunes Chart. She performed on April 25 in Montreal for the Cystic Fibrosis Canada Annual General Meeting. Cystic Fibrosis is the most common fatal genetic disease affecting young adults and children in Canada. There is no cure. After meeting a young girl who has CF in her hometown, Tenille has made it a mission to find a cure through music. The song was written by Matt Scales, who passed away from Cystic Fibrosis in 2007 and recorded with his family’s permission. (https://itun.es/ca/8kzD6, www.tenillearts.com).

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