The Maple Blues Band

For nearly a quarter century, The Maple Blues Band has been the cornerstone of the Toronto Blues Society’s annual Maple Blues Awards (MBA), honoring the creme de la creme in Canadian blues music. With its upcoming full-length record, “Hey Nola,” the Maple Blues Band will step into the spotlight, showcasing the lively instrumental compositions the all-star ensemble has created over the course of its decades together, out now from Cordova Bay Records. 

 

Bassist, band leader and musical director Gary Kendall - perhaps best known for his association with Downchild Blues Band - started the project back in 1998, after a meeting of the Toronto Blues Society.  “I boldly told all present that the music that accompanied the award presentations should be better. The comeback was, ‘Let’s see what you can do.’ It must be working because the band has been the centerpiece of the Maple Blues Awards ever since,” Kendall recalls. 

 

Kendall dreamed of putting together a big band that could tackle a wide variety of styles, including Delta blues, Southside Chicago blues, New Orleans funk, uptown blues, zydeco, blues rock, and most of all Canadian blues, and recruited some of the finest folks on the Canadian blues scene to join him in making that dream come true. 

 

Providing the theme and background music for the event, as well as accompanying the special guests performing at the awards ceremony, the group is made up of many MBA winners and nominees. The band’s current lineup includes Pat Carey on tenor saxophone, Teddy Leonard on guitar, Al Lerman on harmonica and acoustic guitar, Jim Casson drums and percussion, Howard Moore on trumpet, Lance Anderson on Hammond B3, piano and accordion, Alison Young on baritone, tenor and soprano saxophones, Meirion Kelly on trombone, and Roshane Wright on percussion.

 

Kendall calls Let’s Go a true group effort, featuring contributions from band members both past and present, with songwriting credits drawn from over the group’s 24-year history. 

 

“The songwriting helped The Maple Blues Band create a personal and unique sound. It’s what I refer to as ‘big band blues,’” he notes. “The men and women I chose to surround myself with in The Maple Blues Band are part of the enormous southern Ontario pool of blues talent. Each one of them is a star.”

http://www.maplebluesband.com/

The SHOP OF JAM 66 Radio

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Tim Wolf

 

"Frequency" is a piano ballad from Nashville-based singer-songwriter Tim Wolf. This song is a gut-wrenching, emotional lament about an unsuccessful search for romance and a soulmate.

More info and biography of Tim Wolf at thetimwolf.com

Luminatus

The instrumental work is fiery and full of energy. Each player gets to showcase their skill while McGinty tears through space with the vocals.'

- Zachary Larson

Soaring vocals over blistering guitar work, Luminatus brings their own spicy flavor of symphonic metal from the American Southwest. Tune up your air guitars and get ready to rock!

https://www.reverbnation.com/luminatus4

Mikey Hamptons & The Meows

Mikey Hamptons & The Meows, an original Rock and Indie music project based in New York, present to you some of their finest songs and recordings over the past few years. These songs have been spun throughout the globe via internet radio as well as Spotify.

A flavorful mix of Indie and Psychedelic Rock, influenced by a wide range of bands such as The Beatles, Ozzy Osbourne, Foo Fighters, Tom Petty, Green Day, Fuel, Weezer.

https://www.reverbnation.com/mikeyhamptonsthemeows

Graham Whorley

For 2 1/2 years, Graham Whorley has been diligently working on "World Wrapped in Chain", a social restoration project which kicks off with the musical album.

Graham was actively touring in the U.S. and preparing for a tour in the UK when the pandemic hit, causing his US and UK tour dates to be canceled. So, Graham retreated into the studio to create.
When he emerged from the studio, the result was 15 riveting 'anthems' bursting with conscious-minded, thought-provoking lyrics, accompanied by amazing beats. Graham wrote, performed, recorded, mixed, and played all instruments on the album.

"World Wrapped in Chain" offers an up-close view into cultural issues through its conscious-minded theme. Mixing Jazz, Rock, Funk, Hip Hop, Blues, Americana, Reggae, and about every other genre you can think of. It's sure to be a classic for your collection.

Grahamwhorley.com

Aaron Powell

After a successful run in the music industry with heavy spins on radio in the USA, and a Juno award with his band The City Harmonic, Aaron Powell is now releasing the latest single from his solo project. This song has a pop rock feel good nostalgic vibe that will have listeners singing along and turning up the volume in no time.

Aaronpowell.org