Chris Antonik Releases "Trust In Me" From #1 Roots Music Report Canadian Chart Album 'Morningstar'

 

Chris Antonik, whose album, Morningstar, still sits at No. 1 on the Roots Music Report, has released a blues/hip hop hybrid single, “Trust in Me,” something a little different for the chart-topping blues-rock guitarist who has always pushed the boundaries of blues.

 "I wrote this song as a commentary on how toxic, childish, and mean politicians were becoming in the media in the years leading up to the pandemic,” says the Toronto-based musician. “As a single parent, I needed to work extra hard to drown it out and outweigh it with positive behaviour examples for my kids because there was no help from the top.  How we talk to people is important and it's incredible how crazy the world was getting in this respect."

“Trust in Me” features one of the fiercest guitar solos Chris has ever recorded. “Musically, I required this sort of modern, chaotic, industrial-type vehicle to tell my story and to deliver the song's ferocious and intense guitar solo,” he explains. 

The track also includes a beautifully chaotic and mind-bending soprano sax solo by 2022 Maple Blues Award-winner Alison Young. “Sonically, her contribution matches the frustration and confusion of the lyric’s theme, but also has a desert/mystical/Duran Duran ‘Union of the Snake’ vibe,” Chris says.

“Trust In Me” is the fourth single from Morningstar, following August’s release of “Back to the Good”, July’s “Pilgrim,” and June’s “Waves of Stone” (feat. Jarekus Singleton).

All the singles have done phenomenally well on the Roots Music Report, starting with “Waves of Stones,” which landed at No. 1.  Both “Back to Good” and “Pilgrim” also reached No. 1 in Canada on the Roots Music Report’s singles chart.

This kind of reception is nothing new for Chris. Since his nomination for Best New Artist at Canada’s Maple Blues Awards in 2011 based on his debut album, Chris has been delivering innovative and thoughtfully crafted songs that transcend expectations of the genre. His sophomore album, Better for You, was hailed by critics as “the best Canadian blues-rock album of 2013” and “a masterpiece” — with American Blues Scene calling it the “sound of someone taking the blues to a new place.”  His self-produced third studio album, 2017’s Monarch, further expanded the blues’ boundaries into blues-rock, soul and Americana; it was nominated for both Songwriter of the Year and Recording of the Year at the 2018 Maple Blues Awards.

Reviews for his latest album, Morningstar, have been stellar.  All Music Magazine gave it a 10/10, while influential US blues-rock outlet, Rock and Blues Muse, said “Antonik is clearly focused on making music that advances the state of blues/rock and guitar music in general.  He’s got bigger game on his mind and is creating music that will stretch your soul when you hear it. He’s a fully developed artist working on something big. We should all be listening.” 

A few days after its Aug. 5 release, Morningstar charted on the Roots Music Report at No. 4 for radio play in Canada (all genres) and No. 7 in the U.S. (for blues rock). The album also hit No. 1 in Canada on the Roots Music Report, the week of Aug. 13, and No. 20 in the U.S. for blues. 

 

The Whythouse

The Whythouse is back with a new song called Urban Country, This fast paced, fun and energetic song is our 11th studio release this year. Urban Country is the final single released off The Country Files LP. It features a little bit of urban and a little bit of country which is no surprise based on The Whythouse's previous releases.

The Whythouse is a multi-versatile urban collective fronted by Chris Hale alias Plex who hails from Toronto, Canada. This prose fits in perfectly in that pop box as they do in the Country scene and is what has made it a fan favorite with the tracks from their impressive discography going on to amass millions of streams with massive airplay on radio and other digital channels. It seems like everything the band touches ultimately turns to gold and is really proving to be one of the most innovative and creative collectives of its generation. The Whythouse connects with its audience by putting their hearts and souls into their songs while ingeniously investing real-life stories into their lyrics.

 https://www.thewhythouse.com/

 

Multi-Honoured Hamilton, ON Blues Artist André Bisson is in a Total Funk with "Missing You"

 

It’s a sad symptom of the human condition. Sometimes we just don’t realize what we really have until it’s gone. This cornerstone component of the blues gives award winning singer-songwriter André Bisson the foundation for his funky, driving new single, “Missing You” - available now!

The first taste of the Hamilton-based, internationally touring artist’s 9th album, “The Ballad of Lucy Stone”, due out September 30, “Missing You” emphatically checks all the boxes of a killer, scathing blues track with a funkified soul. Bisson’s guitar is meaty and rhythmic, and his voice is primed with emotion and gravelly heartache. The horn section jumps in with searing melodic fills and the super tight rhythm section solidly ushers the whole song along at a pace guaranteed to inspire maximum groove.

“‘Missing You” is about a man who has talked his way out of a good relationship and hopes that it’s not too late to fix it,” says the 2022 Hamilton Arts Award nominee. “There is a revelation that becomes clear: it’s not who we can live with but instead who we can’t live without.”

Some say that loneliness
Lives alongside misery
Till that girl came and saved my soul
I was keeping both company

We’d all like to avoid having them but, regrets are definitely the fuel that drives “Missing You” and makes the song universally relatable.

“Sometimes all the little changes that are asked of us are for our own benefit, to improve our own quality of life,” explains Bisson. ”Sometimes it takes being deprived of that to realize just how truly special our relationship is. The hope is that this epiphany is realized before it’s too late.”

“Missing You” is the first introduction to Bisson’s new album “The Ballad of Lucy Stone”, set for release on September 30. This is the Bruce Mines, Ontario-born, Hamilton-based singer-songwriter’s 9th album release since 2009. That’s a staggering average of a new album every 18 months for the past 13 years from this prolific singer-songwriter and tireless live player. And all that hard work is delivering. Over those 13 years, Bisson has gained notoriety with awards such as Hamilton Blues Awards’ “Male Vocalist of the Year”, “Song of the Year” from Blues and Roots Radio, and he’s been nominated for four Hamilton Arts Awards. He was also selected by the Grand River Blues Society to compete at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee.

“The Ballad of Lucy Stone” is a tribute of sorts to a real, historic figure and builds its theme inspired by her story. Lucy Stone (1818 - 1893) was a women’s rights activist in mid-19^th century Massachusetts. Stone was the first woman in the State to earn a college degree and became a vocal advocate and organizer for the women’s suffrage movement, which eventually led to passing the 19^th amendment which granted women the right to vote in the U.S.

The story of Lucy Stone reflects the theme of this album,” notes Bisson. “The road to change may be difficult, but many things worth doing often are. We must not avoid the obstacles in our lives but instead face them head on. Fear is only a reminder that we are working towards something worth fighting for.“

Bisson certainly exhibits fearlessness and pure joy when fronting his band that can range in size from 6 to 20 members. However, he’s a do-it-yourself artist when it comes to songwriting and arrangements. Much like his previous albums, He’s the sole writer of all 10 tracks on “The Ballad of Lucy Stone” and produced the album. He’s no one-man band in the studio though. While Bisson plays all the guitars and sings lead and some background vocals on this album, he was joined by Jesse O’Brien on piano and keyboards, Mike Rowell on bass guitar, Keagan Early on drums and other percussion, Pat Carey on tenor sax, Gordon Aeichele on tenor & baritone sax and clarinet, Loretta Hale on trumpet and cello, Shawn Moody on trumpet, Rob Somerville on trombone, Lizuarte De Sousa on flute, Kevin Matthews on clarinet, Dan Rodrigues on dobro, accordion and piano, Paul Barna on violin/viola and Theresa Hale-Charters, Quisha Wint and Selena Evangeline on background vocals.

With 13 very busy years of music career building leading Bisson and his band to play sold out shows in Canada, the U.S., U.K. and Europe, he knows the work and dedication it takes to establish and grow in the music biz. 

Big changes do not happen overnight,” says Bisson. ”It is the little actions we take each day that make the difference.” 

Lucy Stone’s reported final words are also words to live by for Bisson and his music.

“Make the world better.”

For Bisson, it’s one great song and one sold out show at a time.

 https://www.andrebisson.ca/

George Dooley

 

George Dooley is a singer songwriter who has been playing and performing for over twenty years. He had always been frustrated in trying to get his songs produced. About two years ago he discovered the virtual world of music production, and he has never looked back. In just under two years, he already has four songs under license with Alcon Sleeping Giant (“ASG”), the music licensing arm of Alcon Entertainment, and another with Figure & Groove, a publishing house out of NY. His reputation as a lyricist continues to grow and his songs are generally fun and include great stories and clever lyrics. His catalog continues to grow, and he hopes his songs bring some joy. He also would welcome the opportunity to connect with recording artists who want to further bring his songs to life.

https://dukesongs.net/

Wild Wisteria

 

Sending waves in the Folk and Rock world, traversing the diverse genres of Classic Rock, Indie Pop Rock, Folk Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Country Blues, and Jazz to Pop-Electrical Dance, Wild Wisteria is set to soar, inspiring listeners with their stunning compositions. The musical collective reflects the artistic genius of lead vocalist and founding singer-songwriter, Malcolm Raedel, and Matt Williams, co-writer and backing vocalist, who also plays guitar, electric bass and banjo for the band. The two seasoned artists are complemented by drummers Steve Staben, David Hopgood, Kelvin Sugars, and Jamie Jones, along with Craig Kelly on Bass, Saxophone by Peter Raidel, keyboards by Ron Ennis and Paul White, and Dave Blight on Harmonica.

Born in Adelaide, South Australia, Malcolm has striven from an early age, to write songs that are lyrically and musically distinctive. Matt has complemented his command of guitar styles of greats such as Eddie Van Halen, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Nuno Bettencourt and Frank Gambale, with technical expertise and production skills.

The critical turning point for Wild Wisteria was a meeting at Fat Trax Recording Studios, where Matt was the sound engineer and producer. A veteran songwriter, Matt was an accomplished performer, guitarist and all-round musician. Malcolm had formed his own independent recording label, Emagin8ion Music.

Wild Wisteria’s debut album, “Enigma Road”, was released in 2008, and moved between folk and rock, with a touch of country. It captured a folk-inspired view of the Australian landscape, past and present, the influence of immigrant settlers, and the humour-infused reality of "By the Dunny in the Pale Moon Light". At the same time, it reflected personal experience in an international context, in the days when when Hong Kong was still a British colony.

This was followed by “Crystal Tangerine” in 2013, a more exploratory collection, but still grounded in the folk-rock-pop influences of the ‘60’s and ‘70’s. Again there is an international dimension, with inspiration drawn from travel in Europe and North America. Critical review of the last track on the album has been described as ”a surprising yet stunning departure from the heavily folk-inspired sound of previous Wild Wisteria songs. “Smokin’ Annie’s Place” sees the group dip their toes into the unquestionably smooth and suave world of Jazz and the results are nothing short of breathtaking.”

Wild Wisteria, the album, was released late in 2020, reflecting a seamless collaboration between the two principal artists. For Malcolm, "Wild Wisteria", the song, sums up his perspective on life. Yet again, there is the recounting of experiences drawn from living for a time in the US. Every song on the album is a single, including the previously released and widely applauded pop-electronica , “Year of the Snake”.

Thematically, Wild Wisteria offers a wide range of narratives, imbued with rich and mesmerizing song writing and production. Whether inspired by love, loss, political events or life’s great enigmas, Wild Wisteria presents an authentic portrayal of experiences that transcend the boundaries of time, culture and geography, through magnetic vocals, lyricism and musical brilliance. If one word could be selected to represent professional reviews of the first three albums, it would be "creativity."

Moving forward, the band hopes to craft even more authentic musical compositions, while also rallying listeners towards their past musical releases.

 https://wildwisteria.hearnow.com/

Claudia Campagnol

 

Claudia Campagnol's voice is extremely powerful, yet warm and soulful. She takes inspiration from jazz, pop, soul, and R&B, showcasing a stunning flair for improvisation and vocal arrangements.

Claudia Campagnol has a deep-rooted affection for jazz fusion, and she has achieved great success on the jazz scene in Denmark as well as abroad. Her debut album "I'm Strong" (2019) was nominated for Danish Music Awards Jazz in two categories: 'Best Vocal Album' and 'Best New Act', and received excellent reviews worldwide.

But for a while, Claudia has considered trying her hand at other genres.

With her single "Dance With Me" (2020) – inspired by names like Chaka Khan and Sade – Claudia stepped into a funky pop/R&B world that suits her amazingly.

In February 2021, Claudia released the beautiful love ballad Abracadabra, with which she participated in 'Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2021' (the Danish pre-selection for ‘Eurovision Song Contest’).

In March 2021, the super catchy "Do You Love Me (Dance Edit)" was released – and with an ongoing desire to challenge herself, she continued down the Pop/R&B/Soul path with her single "Everything's OK" (June 2021). – This time adding a flirty touch of Reggaeton.

Her new single "Confused" is a laid-back, confident and funky affair that makes you dream of the California sun and cruising up and down legendary PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) - or the French Riviera. Think West Coast music, Earth Wind & Fire, Bill Champlin and Michael Ruff, and the mood is set.

https://www.claudiacampagnol.com/

Hickory Hank

 

Has it been a long time? Nah, that's actually great. So not so long ago a number of musicians, relatively unknown to each other, got together to share their love for Country and Americana, in particular. Joint heroes soon found the men in Johnny Cash, Hank Williams and Gram Parsons. There is also a common preference for the more traditional instruments. They mean guitar, mandolin, banjo, bassukulele and whatever else comes to the table.

From their town on the Rhine, the men are slowly but steadily building a solid live reputation. And they are welcome guests on and off stage. Given their set of instruments, they have freedom of movement to play in any cozy corner. In fact, that's probably what they like the most. Blessed with voices like nightingales, the polyphonic vocals really add value.

https://www.facebook.com/HickoryHankTank

https://hickoryhank.jouwweb.nl/