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/

Gulf Stream Riders, new album

 

 

 

Gulf Stream Riders, aka Chris and Nalle , are former members of a hard rock band that had a record deal with Warner Music in Scandinavia and toured the clubs in LA. After a breakup that lasted many years, with Chris studying back home in NY and Nalle writing and producing for artists around the world, they reunited to pursue the long time dream of making the kind of music closest to their hearts; Country/Folk.

Barn Music is the first full-length album from Gulf Stream Riders since they began releasing music in 2018. The album is a snap-shot of GSR’s consistently excellent work, with increasing focus on the folk and roots side of their sound. 

 

12 tracks, 5 never before released songs/versions.  

 

Heart Trying Mind Lying is a plain-spoken song about sad endings and new beginnings; and also a toungue-in-cheek reference to vocalist Christopher John’s surprise heart attack and surgery in ‘21. Heart Trying Mind Lying somehow manages to be mournful and optimistic at the same time.

 

https://twitter.com/RidersGulf

DRAGONFLIES

 

DRAGONFLIES, The South Wales indie trio.

https://linktr.ee/dragonfliesmusicuk

Sano Hill

 

Sano Hill is a singer-songwriter based in Galway (Ireland) currently recording his debut album. His songs are inspired by life, love and loss and he has played to audiences in the US and Ireland with his work released already to critical acclaim on compilation albums, including 'Origin: See the Light', 'New Horizons', and 'Inundations' (which also featured music from leading international acts, including Josh Ritter, Ron Sexsmith, Lloyd Cole, Damien Rice, Mundy and The Frames). 

“Circlewalk” – released on July 29 – is the third single from his forthcoming album (music review responses to "Circlewalk" as well as his acclaimed previous singles “The Climb” and “Starting Over” are available here: https://sanohillsongs.wixsite.com/sano-hill/reviews). The forthcoming album as a whole (titled “If Not Now, When?”) charts the course of a relationship from hopeful beginnings, to emotional crises, breakup and recovery. “CircleWalk” is a darker song than the previous releases, dealing with the challenging subject of communication breakdown in a relationship, when two people can't find the words to say how they feel and instead walk in circles around what they need to say. This song is about expression, about breaking the silence. It features a full band sound, driving chorus and memorable final refrain. It was recorded at Dublin's legendary Windmill Lane Studios with award-winning producer Larry Hogan. 

Sano Hill “is blessed with a strong and distinctive voice” (Galway Advertiser) and his work has been described as defining “a timeless recipe for original guitar music: inventive, humanist lyrics sung from the gut, then embedded in rhythms to barrage or soothe the soul" (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). For leading Irish music magazine, Hot Press, Sano Hill daringly “tries to capture the sound, sense and smell of Galway in a similar vein to Van Morrison's finest compositions about his native Belfast." (Hot Press).

 https://linktr.ee/SanoHill

Changing Tymz

 

In 2016, after hitting some roadblocks with original music and deciding that playing in the cover/club scene was not in his heart, Tony Rossi wanted something new. Driven by the desire to form a band that brought together a unique mix of musicians, he began the long road to what would lead him to Changing Tymz . A journey that required time and patience as the right band would be born in the collaboration of musicians, willing to prove their passion, musical talent, faith, direction and ability to work together as an integral and equal piece of the process . The original line-up itself would take over 3 years .

During this same time period, guitarist Timmy Wysong was looking to find an accomplished drummer to join his former band. Connecting through a music search, Tony submitted an audition piece for the band at Timmy’s request. Although things didn’t work out for the initial project, Tony and Timmy discovered a respect for each other’s talents and decided to begin collaboration .

Adding vocalist Matt Martin to the group, the band was now beginning to take shape and the direction of the band’s sound became clear . Originally striving for a heavier and darker sound, the addition of Matt’s voice and unique style allowed them to dig deeper in the roots of true metal, and melodic fashion to create a mix of modern and classical metal .

All the while, bass player Bryan McQuade was also looking for a solid commitment in an original project. When Changing Tymz and Bryan crossed paths the band asked him to submit an original bassline for the song "Stand Up" . Taking his chances, Bryan sat down to write, submitted a piece … and a bass player was found .

Now at four members strong, all that was needed was another guitarist to add to the line-up . Knowing whoever it was needed to be the right fit, after several auditions and more than a year later, the band finally welcomed Eric Fenton in November of 2019 .

Five talented musicians, having never met before, all from different backgrounds, cemented by desire and passion for the music is what made this line-up work so well, they officially released their 5 track EP in February of 2020.

In January of 2021, Changing Tymz and Matt Martin parted ways and the search for a new vocalist was launched. Again finding the perfect committed fit would take time. After an extensive search and tryout, Joann E Wolfe and Changing Tymz began working on new material, and the melodies and songs just came together like magic. The line-up was again complete. Now in mid-summer of 2022, they are prepped for a relaunch with a story-line video/song, in addition to an 11track full length release, and will follow that up with an updated, re-recorded-mixed/mastered, version of the original 5 track EP. Keep your eyes and ears open for future information and releases, as with the explosive re-launch of an already up-n-coming band, the world truly has only begun to see the music of Changing Tymz !

 https://www.changingtymz.com/

Luminous Wavez

 

 Luminous Wavez is acclaimed U.K. artist Leaone (Lee-own) and American lyricist Mike Dobbins (Patience Gloria) collaborative effort birthed during the long days of Covid. Their 2nd EP, Ashes of the Artist, displays the incredible music potential of the duo. While binge listening Cash, Cornell, and Cave, Dobbins reached deep into the depths of his being to reveal buried emotions longing for release. The resulting lyrics are dark, honest, painful, courageous, and demonstrate a maturity derived from life experience. The youthful musical genius of Leaone infused the perfect modern day indie rock sounds into the songs with his deep, haunting baritone voice and ridiculously catchy melodies. Revenge Song Spiritual starts the journey, showcasing a fearless, uncompromising message of vengeance that would make Johnny Cash proud. The introspective Ex Regrets provides a reflective meditation on lost relationships and the naive Gatsby like hope of their resurrection. Let the Pain Be Your Light destroys commonly held assumptions of pain, seeing it not as something to run away from but embraced in order to grow and escape the darkness. The closing track, Have No Fear, has a Nick Cave minimalist feel and stands out as a brave, hopeful song that leaves the listener emboldened and revitalized at the end of the EP's journey. Mixed and Mastered by Math (Matt) Bishop (U2, The Killers), Ashes of the Artist ups Luminous Wavez game in the music world. Their future is wide open.

 https://www.facebook.com/LuminousWavez

Brian Mitchell

 

Who is Brian Mitchell? Why is he writing and recording new albums of original songs at his age and stranger still, why do people like them?

Answering these questions in no particular order, Brian views age as having zero relevance to anything past physics. If anything, the work he’s doing is simply past due because creativity has been at the core of his personality since he was a child. And that life began as the youngest of 7 kids growing up immersed in the harmonies of Lennon and McCartney, the incredible rhythms and amazing songs that came out of Detroit and Motown Records. In fact all of the music he’s liked from Broadway soundtracks to Brill Building pop, the lyrical craft and vocal harmony arrangements from those eras, all resonate with him. He simply loves music. “It’s the one language every culture, every race and every nation has in common... we all understand it and we all love it.”

Brian’s journey includes ten years as a broadcaster and over the course of that time and the radio stations he worked for, his playlists included hits from five decades covering standards to rock, pop and jazz. At the age of 21 he decided to buy his first guitar, later pursuing college studies in music, learning theory and harmony. Eventually , he added Bass and piano as additional instruments. “Writing songs on piano vs. guitar ... the two are completely different expressively and each brings something unique.”

What you might not know is very likely something you actually do know. His voice. Brian is the voice of national and regional commercials to PBS documentaries and program narrations for networks like Discovery and Science Channel.

But now... There’s Act 3.
In July 2021, “Love & Lies”, Brian’s debut album was released, with a mixture of styles that reflect his broad influences. “I’m only one person. One writer. I don’t have a partner in this to craft some other side to what I’m releasing, so I’m trying to not issue a narrow sort of ‘sound’ per say, I want my albums to be interesting.”

“Love & Lies” features 11 tracks with five of those also released as singles, all available on every major streaming platform both nationally and overseas. A lyric video for his song ‘Love’ has just been released and is streaming to social media. Two new albums are already in pre-production with session dates scheduled throughout the Winter. The musicians include the rhythm section from Genesis’ guitarist Daryl Stuermer’s touring band, and all are among his areas finest.

So why now? Why begin such ambitious projects? “Because I enjoy it. Really, no other reason necessary. I like writing and love recording with these outstanding musicians and my fondest dream for all of it is that just maybe we are asked for live performances at some point. Giving music to people is a gift to us and to them and what could be better than that really?”

 https://brianmitchellofficial.com/