Jay Douglas

 

If you have a hankering for soulful blues and big band swing, then reggae icon Jay Douglas is the perfect choice of sweet, sweet symphony with his newest single, “I’m In Love With You” – available now!

  

Following the release of a string of reggae singles, including “Stone In Love With You,” “Muschange,” and “Pattidemic,” Jay Douglas slows things down and takes a stroll down the bass line to deliver a smashing blues single – “I’m In Love With You.”

  

Jay Douglas has always had a strong connection with blues and jazz, which shows throughout this icon’s catalog. What makes “I’m In Love With You” special is its ability to transport the listener to a time when big bands were the norm and warmly embraced. Warm brass swells and slick guitar riffs draw the listener in, reminiscent of the appeal of jazz bars back in the 60s.

  

“I’m In Love With You” is brimming with rich layers of instrumentation – even on multiple listens it’s hard to narrow a definitive list. That’s always been the appeal of Jay Douglas, and he doubles down on this musical prowess here in his newest single. 

  

With guest features from Hammond organs and Leslie cabinets, they are appropriately accompanied by jazz piano movements by walking bass lines; the whole track feels cinematic in its magnitude.

  

“Many years ago, a promoter allowed me to put a band together for a famous blues singer from the USA whose name is Roscoe Gordon. His music is one of the main reasons we're enjoying Reggae music today. Working with Roscoe gave me so much inspiration for my blues recordings. “I'm in Love With You” was produced by the Maestro Eddie Bullen – lending to that blues style.”

  

Jay Douglas’ ability to connect with listeners and paint a picture with his lyrics is truly something special and always humbling. Growing up in Jamaica, Douglas was drawn to blues, jazz, gospel, country, mento, and calypso styles of music early on. He draws much of his inspiration from this love affair he has with these genres and writes music he loves that he believes will love him back. 

  

“Writing my music gives me a platform to share the truth and experience of my musical journey with others. The idea behind my music is all about the truth, and good vibrations for our souls. Just moving and grooving. The connections between me, my instruments, bandmasters, and collaborators - it's a love affair under one foundation to share with the younger generations who are the gems of the future.”

  

Jay Douglas found his introduction to the limelight in Montego Bay, Jamaica. From there, his natural charisma and irresistible charm have led to a successful and continuing 45+ year career in entertainment, through which he has developed a passion for American Blues, West Indian Rhythms, and Jazz Standards. 

  

Douglas’ tactile and impactful performances are the reason he was announced the winner of NOW Magazine’s “Toronto’s Best R&B Act” in 2006 and Toronto Reggae Awards “Male Reggae Vocalist Of The Year” in 2007. These accolades drew the attention of Seattle-based Light In The Attic, choosing Douglas as the Headliner of the “From Jamaica to Toronto” tour. 

  

More recently, Douglas was nominated for “Reggae Recording of the Year” at the 2012 JUNO Awards and was the recipient of “G98.7 FM Entertainment Award” at the Harry Jarome Awards. His most recent nomination was for his collaboration with General Trees on “Jah Children,” receiving his second JUNO nomination during 2020. 

  

Jay Douglas’ connection to his homeland has been the foundation of his career, which has led Douglas’ to form lifelong friendships and musical collaborations with many of the founding musicians of ska, rock steady, and reggae. His upcoming single teasing his new album is set to feature a collaboration with one of his old friends, the legendary guitarist Ernest Ranglin.

 

 https://linktr.ee/jaydouglasmusic

Durham County Poets

 

There’s no stopping anyone with the right attitude and some ambition and, for Canadian powerhouse blues band Durham County Poets, the drive to get “Back at the Groove Shack” after our pandemic pause is creatively evident with this, their soulful new single and album, Out of the Woods — both available now! 

  

While we all hunkered down for the long haul of COVID, DCP lead vocalist and songwriter Kevin Harvey knew that the time was right to get working on new music that could have the power to uplift and inspire just when we all perhaps need it the most. 

  

“The idea was for it to be a positive, uplifting experience for all involved — creators and listeners,” notes Harvey.

  

The result of this experience? The band’s fifth album, Out of the Woods, produced by Bill Garrett; the smooth, funky, and smile-worthy title track is the lead single that introduces the new collection in both style and substance.

 

From the one-word vocal intro of “alright”, the album’s title track, “Out of the Woods,” takes us down a path heading straight for the light at the end of the tunnel. Along the way, there’s continuous, rhythmic reassurance that everything is indeed going to be alright. 

  

“The number one inspiration for the single ‘Out of the Woods’ was my mother,” says Harvey. “She has always been a rock and the kind of mom that has the ability to set you straight! Get me off my high horse and or kick my behind if I start feeling sorry for myself, and always with love.”

  

We ain’t home yet but we’re out of the woods

Come on now, take a look at this world and start acting like we know we should

  

DCP has a lot to live up to and surpass after scoring a 2020 JUNO nomination for Best Blues Album of the Year for their fourth record, Hand Me Down Blues, and watching it stay on Roots Music Report’s Top 50 chart in Canada for more than 12 months. The album also received two Maple Blues Awards nominations and a Canadian Folk Music Awards nomination for Kevin Harvey.

  

While Harvey is the voice out front, Durham County Poets are a “band in the truest sense of the word,” they share. 

  

“Every member writes and arranges and brings something unique to the table,” says Harvey. “You’ll hear a variety of genres and a broad range of styles.” Those DCP members are David Whyte on guitar and backing vocals, Neil Elsmore on guitar and backing vocals, Carl Rufh on bass and backing vocals, and Rob Couture on drums.

  

“The guys in the band wrote songs that bolster that positive uplifting vibe, it’s peppered all over the album,” he continues. “Even when the content is somewhat sobering and can be a tad weighty, the end result is relevance and beauty, and a bit of humour never hurt nobody either.”

  

Positivity, forward-thinking, and passion are the key drivers for bandleader Kevin Harvey, who has been in a wheelchair since 1981 after what he calls a “stupid accident.“ He sees it as just one experience among many in his life and will not allow it to define or confine him. With the grace of God, the collective power of the band, and the slowly changing views of society towards the disabled, DCP has been able to realize some of the hopes and aspirations they all have as musicians. Harvey sums it up with his personal motto, “Music is a precious gift too important not to be shared.”

  

The belief in and celebration of that precious gift has been palpable when the band has fired up at key festivals such as Ottawa Blues, Rochester Jazz, Montréal Folk, Deep Roots Nova Scotia, Wintergrass Seattle, Port Credit, Ontario’s Southside Blues Shuffle, and the Pop-up “Superfolk” in Morin Heights, QC. 

  

The positive power that a DCP show can have was observed by Bill Hurley of Extended Play Sessions when he wrote, "There's something about the Durham County Poets that leaves you feeling that everything might be OK in the world after all. There's a human spirit that lives in these people and their music is the medium that allows that spirit to roam free."

 

In the coming months, the Durham County Poets will be sharing that spirit with enthralling performances increasing their usual five members to seven with a horn section. They’ll be hitting stages throughout Québec and Ontario and in the U.S. in New England and New York State in support of their fifth album Out of the Woods. Visit durhamcountypoets.com for dates.

Taming Sari

 

Canadian rock/blues band Taming Sari releases their rippin’ new song about being vulnerable in a hyper-exposed world where there are fewer places to hide with the supercharged new single, “No Shelter” — available now!

 

A hard-hitting anthem of compassion and connectedness, “No Shelter” acts as a visceral reminder to cherish the people in your life — especially during an era filled with social trauma. “Things will never be the same, but we still need that crucial support to get through life and be happy.”

   

Beyond its commentary, “No Shelter” is a blistering track that showcases the exceptional musicianship and vocal prowess of each member of Taming Sari. Listeners are treated to a sonically sophisticated song that is the culmination of Taming Sari’s pent-up creativity and energy during the pandemic; as the band says, “‘No Shelter’ is three minutes of pure mental and physical release that we all so desperately need in these times.”

   

The backdrop of the Polson Pier in downtown Toronto set the stage for the recording of “No Shelter” earlier this year in the dead of winter as light at the end of the tunnel came shining through. Drummer Adam Ouellette and bassist Alex Pellerin-Auprix provide the tight backbone of the new single, while guitarist Miguel Kingsberry-Brunette rounds out the rhythm section. The earth-shattering vocals of Warren Meredith pave the way for Taming Sari’s new lead guitarist, Joe Fraser.

   

“No Shelter” effortlessly exudes youthful energy through its meticulous guitar riffs and thunderous drums. “It's also about forming strong relationships that make us feel connected.” Anyone with a penchant for raw, melodic craftsmanship can be assured that the harmonies embedded in the music are as potent as the message. 

 

“Let's settle the score 

know who to blame 

how long can it last? 

thing's will never be the same.”

 

Hailing from across Canada, Taming Sari is a collection of eclectic artists hell-bent on refining their distinct blend of classic rock and blues. This bilingual band has been on fire since the release of their debut album, Thirsty From The Drought, in 2019. 

They have since performed during the intermission of an Ottawa Senators game, made it on the Canadian Active Rock charts, and racked up 200,000 streams and 70k listeners on Spotify with their last single alone. With a long list of recognitions and accolades, the release of their latest single ensures that Taming Sari is one of the most exciting Canadian acts today.

 

 https://www.tamingsariband.com/

Donnie Walsh

 

Donnie Walsh has experienced a lot of things in his over 53 years of playing the blues, since forming The Legendary Downchild Blues Band in 1969 with his brother, Hock Walsh. Perhaps none more rewarding than getting the call that he will be inducted into the North Bay Musicians & Entertainers Hall of Recognition on September 1, 2022, at Downchild’s performance at the Capitol Centre in North Bay as part of the Capitol Centre Bluesfest.

 "It's really exciting to be inducted to the Hall in North Bay as it's where, as a kid, I started to actually listen to music and began to play guitar” states Donnie Walsh.

 Donnie spent his formative years in North Bay, when his parents moved to the city in 1957 and bought The Lakeview Inn in West Ferris, Ontario, now part of North Bay, as it was known then. It was at the infamous Lakeview Inn where Donnie and Hock discovered music on the jukebox.  "At 11:30 every Saturday night it was closing time" says Walsh. "People would load up the jukebox throughout the night to play well past the time we shut down for the evening. Hock and I would sneak in there on Sunday mornings and plug it back in and listen to hours and hours of great music by Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Bill Haley and the Comets, Louis Prima, and Keeley Smith, to name a few. It was around this time that I got a steel guitar one Christmas and quickly exchanged it for a regular guitar. Then I took guitar lessons for almost a year from local guitar legend, Russ Smith, who played guitar on a TV show with Irwin Prescott and His Mellowtones."

 He attended grade 7 and 8 at Tweedsmuir Public School in West Ferris and then spent two years at Algonquin Composite Collegiate in North Bay, before heading to Toronto in 1962. Two year later, Walsh began his journey to becoming a full-time musician, forming Downchild in 1969 with Hock, and the rest, as they say, is history.

 Downchild have long been known as the inspiration for Hollywood stars Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi’s hit film The Blues Brothers. In fact, two Downchild songs “I Got Everything I Need (Almost)” and “Shotgun Blues” are found on The Blues Brothers smash album Briefcase Full of Blues.

 Downchild has released 19 albums, including their 50^th Anniversary Live At The Toronto Jazz Festival recording (featuring special guests Dan Aykroyd, Paul Shaffer, David Wilcox, Kenny Neal, Gene Taylor and Erja Lyytinen), won 2 JUNO Awards and over 26 Maple Blues Awards.

 Donnie Walsh wrote Downchild's song “I’ve Got Everything I Need (Almost)” that was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2019, where he joined some of the greatest songwriters of our time, including Neil Young, Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, and Leonard Cohen.

 Downchild is a Canadian blues institution with an international reputation. They have shared the stage with blues icons B.B. King, Buddy Guy, and John Lee Hooker to name a few and have performed around the world, leaving fans thoroughly entertained wherever they go. The band continues to perform regularly and are currently on The Longest 50th Anniversary Tour Ever!

 For further information on Downchild see www.downchild.com

Fresh Breath

 

Some songs become known for one standout, dramatic element – a scream, for example – and Ontario-based alt-country duo Fresh Breath’s new single “Find Your Way Home” – available now – just might be one of them. It’s bluesy, it’s catchy, it’s harmony and harmonica-infused, and it also stops the action in the middle of everything for a memorable husky, guttural YEAHHHHHHH.

From their 2021 EP, How Did I Get Here, “Find Your Way Home” explores the question of what it might have been like to have not been born human – “Sometimes I wonder/ How my life would have been/ Had my soul not been placed down here/ In this body wrapped with skin.” The song questions how it might have been to have been born a deer rather than someone who spends their day in an office, a dolphin rather than a factory worker, or even a river whose only job is to rage on. 

“I’d still help you find your/ Find your way home,” the duo concludes.

Overall, the song is about reclaiming and rediscovering one’s humanity by philosophically going outside of it for a little while. “It's a hypothetical question about having your own mind but in a different body,” Fresh Breath explain. “Perhaps a bird or dolphin. Realizing that all living things have their own unique issues and struggles and maybe it would be easier to be a bridge or a river that helps you 'Find Your Way Home.’”

Although it deals with lofty and difficult questions, “Find Your Way Home” doesn’t take itself too seriously. The earthiness of the exercise is reflected in the music video, shot exclusively on an iPhone 12 mini by the band themselves. It shows Josh and Katie Pascoe hanging out on their family farm, chillin’ in the hayloft and the old cow shed, and playing in the sunshine. When that aforementioned YEAHHHH comes, they stop to do a little bit of hair-flipping and headbanging in glorious slow motion.

At the end of the video, they even include a funny blooper. “When we did the slow-motion shot, Katie thought it would be a cool effect to toss her hat – not realizing that it would surely smack Josh directly in the face as he came back up violently fast,” the duo said. “Luckily he wasn't hurt or injured, but what we managed to grab on film was too good not to include as a blooper at the end of the video.”

It’s just one of those things that reflect the duo’s ethos. “We ultimately love to have fun, and try not to take ourselves too seriously,” they share.

 https://www.freshbreathband.com/

Nick Moss

 

 Nick Moss is an American Chicago blues and electric blues musician. He has released thirteen albums to date, all on his own label, Blue Bella Records label. He has played with Buddy Scott, Jimmy Dawkins, Jimmy Rogers and the Legendary Blues Band. More recently he has performed fronting his own group, Nick Moss and the Flip Tops until 2008 and then shortening the name in 2009 to Nick Moss Band. The music journalist Bill Dahl stated that Moss possesses "mastery of the classic Chicago sound."

Moss originally learned to play the bass guitar. He joined Buddy Scott's backing band when he was in his late teens. He played for Scott for two years. After that he played with Jimmy Dawkins. By 1993, he had joined the Legendary Blues Band and played bass on their final album, Money Talks.[3] The band's frontman, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, suggested Moss should switch to lead guitar, and he spent over two years there before they split up.

Moss moved on to play guitar in the Jimmy Rogers band for three years, before he turned to a solo career. His debut album, First Offense (re-released in 2003), billed as by Nick Moss and the Flip Tops, included a guest appearance by the harmonica player Lynwood Slim. His next albums, Got a New Plan (2001), Count Your Blessings (2003), Sadie Mae (2005) and Live at Chan's (2006), were each nominated for a W. C. Handy Award.

Nick Moss and the Flip Tops recorded two live albums at Chan's, a Rhode Island club, the second of which included the harp playing of Gerry Hundt.[4] Moss and the Flip Tops played at Memphis in May and the Ottawa Blues Festival in 2008.[5] The same year Moss produced Magic Slim's album Midnight Blues. Moss later changed the name of his group, which became the Nick Moss Band.

Moss's ninth album, Here I Am, was released on November 22, 2011. It was nominated for a Blues Music Award in 2013 in the category Rock Blues Album. His tenth album, Time Ain't Free, was released in March 2014 and was voted by the editors at Guitar World magazine as One of the Top 50 Albums of 2014.

The band released Live & Luscious on October 30, 2015. It was their 11th album released after a European tour in April that year. It featured live versions of unreleased songs that will be introduced in the following studio album. The 12th album was issued on May 20, 2016, and was a double disc studio effort, From the Root to the Fruit.

The High Cost of Low Living (2018) was a slight departure from the norm, incorporating a significant guest appearance from the harmonica player Dennis Gruenling, plus the release was via Alligator Records.

At the 40th Blues Music Awards in 2019, Moss was named 'Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year'.

His 2019 joint recording with Dennis Gruenling, Lucky Guy!, was chosen as a 'Favorite Blues Album' by AllMusic. In May 2020, the Nick Moss Band featuring Dennis Gruenling won two Blues Music Awards for 'Band of the Year' and 'Traditional Blues Album of the Year' for Lucky Guy!. 

https://www.nickmossband.com/

Big Joe Williams

 

Joseph Lee Williams, billed throughout his career as Big Joe Williams, was an American Delta blues guitarist, singer and songwriter, notable for the distinctive sound of his nine-string guitar. Performing over four decades, he recorded such songs as "Baby Please Don't Go", "Crawlin' King Snake" and "Peach Orchard Mama" for a variety of record labels, including Bluebird, Delmark, Okeh, Prestige and Vocalion.

Williams was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame on October 4, 1992.