September Long’s new release was completed during the summer of 2014 while working at Randy Woods Studio in Saskatoon and was released on December 5, 2014 at Amigo’s Cantina. The new release, “Between the Stream and the Pine Trees,” has 8 tracks including the Saskatchewan adolescence anthem “Living Skies,” from which the album draws its name. Funding for the album was provided in part by SaskMusic’s Investment Program.
Annette Campagne released her latest, “Papillon amiral,” on November 28 at the Slate Art Gallery with a live performance and screening of new video “Tu es ma lumière,” shot in Regina through Living Sky Media and produced by Lowell Dean (https://www.annettecampagne.com/home).
Gordon Stobbe (Nova Scotia) and JJ Guy (Saskatoon) recently released their collaborative album “Twin Fiddles,” and it’s nominated for a 2015 Western Canadian Music Award. Stobbe and Guy are each well-known Canadian fiddlers with long lists of accomplishments, but have joined forces to present this new and exciting album. It represents a quilt work of original tunes written by Guy and Stobbe which reflect their many journeys together on the road. Many of the compositions are written for some very unique but truly Canadian places. “Every tune tells a story and our goal is to let the listener feel as though they have traveled with us to these places or met the people that these tunes are written about” says Guy. Coinciding with the album release is a book of the compositions, published by Fiddlebooks, the leading publisher of Canadian fiddle music (www.jjguy.ca).
Voodoo aka Joey Werapitiya is a hip hop artist and songwriter from Regina. The September release of his album “Delusional Kids” marked the first full-length project for Voodoo and his independent company The Delusional Kids. The album features an abundance of local talent with music production by Regina locals James “Yaameez” Baschak, Amoz Newkirk, Omar “Phoenix Flame” Johnson and Saskatoon’s Bob “A-Static” Deutscher. The album also features guest appearances by singer-songwriter Cailee Dela Cruz, singer Marvin “Merv Gotti” Chan of DGS, Regina rap veteran Noel “Dr.Tsunami” Castillo, and Amoz “Clay” Newkirk of hip hop group The Stoop Kids. Amoz contributed to the project as a producer and guest artist, as well as recording, mixing and mastering the entire project. Voodoo has built a buzz locally performing at numerous events including Summer Invasion and Trifecta. After allowing the album to grow organically within the city, Voodoo is ready to expand his music to a wider audience (www.facebook.com/delusionalkids).
Dumb Angel’s fourth album “Broken Glass” was released April 7 on Clamour Records. A release show was held at Amigos on March 28, followed by a two-week tour of Ontario and Quebec. Latest single, “Wanted, Needed, Loved” was released April 7 and was featured on Exclaim.ca (https://dumbangelmusic.bandcamp.com).
With their freshly released EP “Let’s Get Together”, jazz-inspired folk duo Crestwood tours from Saskatoon to Victoria this spring. Performing in suits and ties, this dapper duo follows a ‘less is more’ philosophy and performs primarily with Steven Maier on vocals and hollow-body guitar and Gent Laird on upright bass. In the spirit of collaboration and with their wide-reaching musical connections across Canada the duo often invite top local jazz musicians to join their show. During live shows Steven and Gent contour and shape the music as they play and improvisation is a vital part of what makes Crestwood so interesting to hear live.
Constant Reminder held a CD launch for their latest album, “Volume VI,” on May 1 in Tisdale. A blend of classic rock, blues and originals, the CD was produced by Tisdale’s Gator & Fox Studios.
League of Wolves proudly released their self-titled debut album in April, followed by a tour to eastern Canada; they’ve toured from Saskatoon to Montreal and back this May, including an opening spot for Yukon Blonde in their hometown and a Canadian Music Week showcase. They also released a video for “Runaway” in March, filmed near Piapot and produced by local filmmakers Prehistoric Productions. The band made it as a Top 10 Regional Finalist in CBC’s Searchlight competition and was named in their “Songs You Need To Hear” list; they were also recently named in Planet S Magazine’s 2014 “Soon-To-Be-Great Eight” (www.leagueofwolves.com). photo credit: Matt Braden
Jackie Guy released her sophomore album “Red Guitar” on January 19, with the title track as first single. Nominated in 2014 for Female Vocalist of the Year at the Sask. Country Music Assoc. Awards, Guy’s three singles from her first album “Right Where I Wanna Be” (2011) received national airplay and landed her in the top ten on the Most Active Indies chart. She was named Headstarter of the Week on the Canadian Trax Report twice, and was the winner of Kamloops Country 103’s Emerging Artist Showdown. With multiple cross-Canada radio interviews and showcases to her credit, as well as acoustic performances with producer and guitarist Rich McFarlane, Guy has assembled a band, and recently hosted an event with legends Lorrie Morgan and Pam Tillis.
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.
Katie Miller announced her debut album, “Silverflower” on February 28. Miller is a prairie soul storyteller. Drawing inspiration from the land, sky and human spirit, Katie crafts her folk rock/pop songs into stories and tells them with an honest voice. Katie’s album features an assortment of flavors: laid-back summer songs, upbeat kick-up-your-heels tunes, soulful ballads, and raw emotional-driven music. She’s currently booking shows across the prairies (www.katiemiller.ca).
Slow Down Molasses released new album “Burnt Black Cars” through Culvert Music, May 9. The nine-song record was recorded at Saskatoon’s the Avenue Recording Company, mixed by Jace Lasek and mastered by Noah Mintz. It landed promptly on !earshot and CBC R3 charts. Supporting tour dates take them to festivals including SaskTel Jazz Festival and the Gateway Festival (www.slowdownmolasses.com).
Poor Nameless Boy (aka Joel Henderson) as welcomed to the Chronograph Records roster. Following the acclaimed release of his introspective album “The Activity Book” in 2013, Joel returns to the studio this spring to record new music for a fall release. Music is in Joel’s blood - his dad toured for 18 years and his brother Chris Henderson maintains an active presence in the Canadian country music scene, so it comes naturally to Joel. He has performed on CTV and Global TV, showcased at Folk Alliance International and Canadian Country Music Week, and performed at the Ness Cress Music Festival and Cathedral Village Arts Festival. His mellow sound is personal, speaking honestly about love, life, and our changing hearts in a busy world (www.poornamelessboy.com).
Kelsey Fitch’s debut album, “Play Nice” was recorded with Bart McKay in Saskatoon and released on March 23, and debuted at #7 on the iTunes Country albums chart. Kelsey was also nominated for the Rising Star at the 2015 Sask. Country Music Awards.
The Rotations’ debut album “Self Title Wave” will hit the market on July 4. ‘Independent day’ is the theme for the release party going down at The Underground Café in Saskatoon, with guest Brayden Bell. The project is produced by Kalen Ross.
Bad Comrade released their first studio EP, “Keepers.” It was recorded over the fall/winter of 2014 at Roman Empire Studios with Dave Roman, featuring 4 songs (http://badcomrade.bandcamp.com/releases).
Drew Tofin’s debut album “One Night” was released February 3 following a year-long process of dedication to the project. It contains classics such as Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon” and Dean Martin’s “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head”, plus twists on more contemporary cover songs, as well as a full horn section. Tofin states, “It’s not your typical jazz crooner album, I have incorporated multiple genres and artists that have been a great influence to me and I believe it has resulted in a unique finished product” (www.drewtofin.com).
Micheal Lander has been creating some “buzz” with the release of his debut country/blues/rock music. His anticipated album is poised to display a dynamic variety of each genre to pave the way for future projects. Several singles have been released so far with the latest being “Long, Cold Run.” This song was a Top 25 finalist in a National Songwriting Competition by the Songwriters Association of Canada (www.micheallander.com).
