Blaze Project

 

Sometimes having a passion can be both a blessing and a curse. Canadian rockers Blaze Project capture this very conundrum with their blues-infused single, “Sweet Little Misery,” from their brand new album, Enjoy This Moment – both available now. 

 

“Sweet Little Misery” is a thumping, bluesy, head-bopping rock ‘n’ roll song with a wailing guitar solo that brings to mind the energy of an arena. Its message is somewhat meta: “It’s about an artist and his great passion for music, as well as his vision of a performance on stage,” the Baie-Comeau, Québec-based band shares. “A musician who was born with this talent and passion, and despite all the paths taken, he will always end up finding the stage and music on his way.”

  

It fits nicely with the overarching theme of Enjoy This Moment, which is to grasp a positive mood with an open heart and open arms. Composed in the band’s home studio and practice space during the pandemic, the album was fueled by Blaze Project’s need to create even amid the unfortunate medical diagnoses, family deaths, and even a car accident that various band members experienced throughout the writing and recording process. 

  

“The songs deal with the beauties of the world and nature, interpersonal relationships, passion, determination, the happiness of living and enjoying the good things in life,” the band says of the 10 songs, adding that though the members come from different musical tastes and disciplines they were able to achieve a cohesive sound, albeit one that spans traditional rock, blues, funk, and even indie rock at times. 

  

“Each musician brings his color,” they say. “This is what gives it the Blaze Project touch.”

  

Though each song deals with a different message and narrative, the thread that runs throughout Enjoy This Moment is the desire to create positive, emotional, and catchy music. 

  

“Sweet Little Misery” and Enjoy This Moment are available now.

 

 https://blazeproject.ca/

Tasha Hillman

 

Tasha Hillman is a young Indie singer and songwriter born and raised in kelowna b.c. She has always been involved in performing arts with dance her whole life. Though music has always been on her mind. The ability to capture a story in art is so beautiful. She discovered her passion for writing music when she was 16. Since then she has been cultivating songs daily about her experiences on this planet. One of her deepest moments of pain she turned into a song and knew in that moment she had to pursue this journey. Life throws us a lot of pain we don't always know how to handle. Songwriting and music has been this healing process that has helped me navigate the hardest parts of life. In every moment of pain and sadness I think we can still find beauty and hope. The songs I am writing hopefully will give that hope to people when they need it most. I want to remind everyone we are all connected and never alone. I want people to find pockets of sunshine when it feels like the rain will never stop. This world can feel too big but sometimes it feels too small and a single moment can change our reality. 

  www.facebook.com/TashaDreams2020

The Hogtown Allstars

 

A new band of multi-award-winning not-so-new blues players are set to make their musical mark: The Hogtown Allstars have released their debut album today, Hog Wild, via Stony Plain Records.

 

Featuring eight new all-original songs, and two covers, Hog Wild was recorded throughout 2021 once the group nailed their first challenge: coordinating everyone’s schedule to hit the studio. It’s the first release for the undeniable supergroup that first started in 2013 as a collaborative, creative outlet for Toronto-based musicians dedicated to the genre.

 

As for ‘Allstars,’ they come by the moniker honestly; built with some of the most dynamic and experienced players on the global blues scene, the 7-piece adds up to Downchild Blues Band alum Chuck Jackson, Pat Carey, Gary Kendall, Jim Casson, and Tyler Yarema alongside Maple Blues Band alums Teddy Leonard and Howard Moore. 

 

Their collective shelves are lined with more than 20+ Maple Blues Awards, five JUNO Awards, two Lifetime Achievement Awards, and countless international blues and jazz music awards. 

https://soundcloud.com/idla/sets/hog-town-all-stars-hog-wild/s-vMdqUsMABRL?si=83595b1263654240b2ced7c2023a345a&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

ElectroBluesSociety

 

 

 

ElectroBluesSociety is an experimental electro blues duo. Two guys and a bunch of junk with a broad taste and an open mind mixing the old with the new. Modern technologies combined with 30+ years of live stage experience in the European blues / roots music scene. 

During the period 2016 - 2002 the guys invited several other artists to record new music with. On this album you will find a selection of our favorite ElectroBluesSociety tracks.

JASPER MORTIER – drums, bass
mainly known as bass player but lately he found a new passion: playing drums !!   Over the years Jasper worked with numerous great artists like Preston Shannon, ‘Sax’ Gordon Beadle, Monti Amundson, Philip Walker, Candye Kane, Melvin Taylor, Sherman Robertson, Terry Evans, Long John Hunter, Eddy Clearwater, Guy Forsyth, David Gogo, Toni Lynn Washington, Paul Oscher, Doug Jay, Boo Boo Davis, Byther Smith, Boyd Small, and many others. 

JAN MITTENDORP - guitar
Touring Europe since 1993 with USA blues artists ike: Percy Strother, Smokey Wilson , Byther Smith, Burton Gaar, Roy Roberts, Larry Garner, Boo Boo Davis, Erskine Oglesby, Jody Williams, Roscoe Chenier, Clara McDaniel, Boyd Small, Billy Jones, Hosea Leavy, Harrison Kennedy and many others.  With Boo Boo Davis among others at Montreux Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz, Jazz a Juan, Amal BluesFestival and Blues Peer.

 

 https://open.spotify.com/album/2QhI35fsU1XUn8uitfo33p?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=submission_electrobluessociety_2016_2022&utm_term=2022-04-24

Ellinor Springstrike

 

The extraordinarily talented, and hard working, Ellinor Springstrike is widely acknowledged as one of the most exciting Country Music stars in the world today.

Her music is highly-listenable, accessible and has a wide appeal.  So it comes as little surprise that her latest two singles, ‘What’s Your Name?’ and ’It’s Never Too Late’ have between them racked up well over two million streams along with airplay all over the world.

This fairytale, film worthy, story begins when, quite by chance, the Swedish born Ellinor Springstrike was discovered by the multi-award winning Nashville producer and singer/songwriter Jimmy Ritchey after a Christmas gift of a DNA kit led him to investigate the Country Music artists in Sweden when he discovered he is of Swedish heritage himself.

Jimmy Ritchey, who also discovered, and developed the careers, of such artists as Jake Owen, Sam Hunt, Greg Bates and William Michael Morgan spotted Ellinor Springstrike’s exceptional talents, contact was made and one of the most amazing musical partnerships was born.

Ellinor flew to Nashville to work with Jimmy and his team.  She immediately began co-writing with Grammy Award winning, luminary songwriters of the Country Music world.  Jimmy and Ellinor then took the songs into a world class studio to cut the tracks for the new EP including ‘This Fire,’ ‘It’s Never Too Late’ and ‘What’s Your Name’ as well as the new single ‘Good Love’ which is out 23rd April 2021.

The pair have a natural affinity which creates a magic that shows in the music.  Somehow Jimmy and Ellinor were destined to work with each other and luck brought them together over the thousands of miles that separate their home towns.

With bookings for concerts flooding in and a fanbase that is growing exponentially, Ellinor’s stellar rise of the last two years looks set to make her an international name.

 

 www.ellinorspringstrike.com

Rebekka Lundstrøm

 

Rebekka Lundstrøm is a country and folk inspired singer/songwriter from Norway.

Her sound is melancholic with glimmers of hope and her honest and personal stories are delivered by a distinctive and soothing voice.

Since her debut as a songwriter in 2017, Rebekka has released one album, two individual singles and is soon ready to put out two more singles, followed by her second album.

Rebekka's debut album, “Carousel”, (March 2020), earned great reviews in newspapers, music blogs and magazines both in Norway and abroad. It made it onto several lists of “Best albums of 2020”.

Since then, she has put out two more singles, “Breathe” with music video and “This Christmas”, both in 2021.

"Silent Storms”, Rebekka’s second studio album is releasing on April 22nd 2022, but before this her  single “Starting Again” will be ready for streaming on March 25th and “Soul Searching &  Songwriting” on April 8th. 

 

 https://www.facebook.com/misscarousel

Judith Owen

 

Judith Owen, a performer whose stylistic range spans rock, pop, classical, jazz, blues, and musical theatre, Owen is also a comedic actress and master storyteller.

Born into an overtly musical Welsh family, Judith Owen grew up in London surrounded by classical music, ballet, theatre, and the fine arts.  Owen was also exposed to many jazz icons and Broadway musicals that her parents loved (the mixture would become her signature sound).

Owen quickly began performing at a variety of different venues around London. Her unique hybrid of classical/jazz-influenced styled sound soon affirmed a regular slot at Ronnie Scotts.

With Thirteen critically acclaimed album releases, multiple live shows (mini-musicals as she describes them), from Ronnie Scott’s to The Royal Albert Hall and Syndey Opera House and her “cinematic” songs featured in film and TV.

Pre lockdown, Judith wrapped up a tour in Europe and the U.K. to adoring fans, during which time she joined Richard Thompson as a featured guest (along with a cavalcade of British rock and folk royalty) at his 70th birthday celebration at London’s Royal Albert Hall. She then joined another legend… bassist Derek Smalls (“formerly of the band formerly known as Spinal Tap”), for a series of concerts in the U.S. followed by a handful of intimate shows in Australia with percussionist Pedro Segundo.

Judith Owen is co-creator and co-host of the annual “Christmas Without Tears” charity variety show that has featured guests including Steven Merchant, Tim Minchin, Catherine O’Hara, and many others.

 https://judithowen.net

Bé Schmaal

 

 

Bé Schmaal is a singer-songwriter and mainly sings in Groningen. He writes about what he knows and experiences, straight from the heart. No subject, however personal, is shunned, so that you as a listener are taken into the emotional life of the singer. Since the release of the first single “Zwait en Zwoare Sjek” several songs have been released as singles. Together with Krzysztof Groen as a duo "Mitzenbaaident" June 2020 the song "Ik Zing". The first album “Dattien bie sixty” (“13 bie 60”) was released on February 28, 2019 and presented live in Van Beresteyn in Veendam. With 13 songs on it, as the title suggests. It is a mix of own songs and five covers rewritten by Bé in Gronings.

 

 https://www.be-schmaal.nl/