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Julian Taylor Band pic by Jerome Joyce.jpeg
Rvnners.jpg
Ted Kennedy.png
Saint Lo.jpg
iskwe.png
Julian Taylor Band pic by Jerome Joyce.jpeg Rvnners.jpg Ted Kennedy.png Saint Lo.jpg iskwe.png

RGM presents The Maple Leaf Roundup #7

March 28, 2019 by Rich Barnard in Soul, Pop, News, Folk, Indie, singer-songwriter, Soundcloud, Video

Oh, Canada!  How we are overwhelmed by all your musical offerings!  Yes, our cousins over yonder have been working harder than ever since our last Maple Leaf column and here at RGM we have been hand-selecting the very best of the bunch so that you, dear reader, can sample (probably) the very finest in new Canadian music.


Julian Taylor Band pic by Jerome Joyce

Julian Taylor Band pic by Jerome Joyce

First, we get funky with the Julian Taylor Band, whose claim to be “the best Toronto band you’ve never heard” may indeed be true.  They are set to release their new record Avalanche on 29th March.  Effortlessly cool and packed with sass, wit and groove, Avalanche sounds like a record from the very back of your LP collection - one that you haven’t played in years but instantly wraps its arms around you as if it’s your oldest friend.  If it was at all easy to make a record that sounds as classic as this, then surely everyone would be doing it.  For JTB it’s seems it simply a case of some seriously fine musicianship, genuine warmth and soul by the bucketload.  Don’t believe me?  Check out current single ‘Back Again’ and hear for yourself.

https://juliantaylorband.com/


Rvnners.jpg

If soul and funk just ain’t yo’ bag and big polished pop is more what you’re after then look no further than four-piece Rvnners who, in a past life, used to go by the name Tiny Danza.  The band promises an EP release soon and of the tracks to emerge so far ‘Through The Wall’ has to be their ace in the hand.  A gleeful marriage of synth and guitar washes between huge drums (gated like 1986) and a lead vocal that manages to be simultaneously muscular and frail.  A chart-topper-in-waiting. 

http://www.rvnners.com/


Photo by Mich Chiuhttps://www.michchiu.com/

Photo by Mich Chiu

https://www.michchiu.com/

Now then, speaking of 1986, have you ever-wondered what would have happened if Morrissey had fronted Human League and recruited Edge on guitar?  Well, Ted Kennedy definitely has and his gloriously 80s synth-fest ‘Forty’ is a near-perfect study of the period.  I’m a real sucker for a nostalgia party and the Torontonian has planned and executed this one to perfection.  Hand your car keys over to Lloyd Dobler, come on in and enjoy.

https://www.facebook.com/therealtedkennedy/


Saint Lo.jpg

For something that is sonically a little more organic, head over to ‘Blueberry Fields’, the current single from Montreal four-piece Saint Lo.  The warm accordions, fiddle and lazily brushed drums are the perfect backdrop for vocalist Marc Richard’s comforting delivery.  This is essentially the musical equivalent of a perfect summer sunrise.  The song is the third single from the band’s new album We Could Be which is due for a mid-April release. 

https://www.instagram.com/sttt.lo/


iskwe.png

Shaking us out of our comfort zone is ‘Little Star’ a blistering, thunderous anthem from Iskwē.  The song aims to highlight the tragic deaths of native Canadian youngsters and Iskwē - herself very much in touch with her own indigenous roots - uses the beat of an Anishinaabe honour song as the base for the track.  Add to this a pulsing electronic bass, searing guitars and keys, topped with a powerful vocal and what you get is a stunning slab of dynamic, dramatic pop.  Difficult to ignore and rightly so.

https://www.instagram.com/isKwe/

Well, that is all for now.  This is your Canadian correspondent signing off until next time.  Thank you for reading and thank you, musicians of Canada, for always sending us the good stuff!

The Maple Leaf Roundup is a Rich Barnard production for Red Guitar Music.

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My dear, dear, neglected reader.  It’s been an entire year since I last brought you news of the finest Canadian sounds around; a lapse for which I can offer no worthy excuse.  There will no doubt have been truckloads of tunes that have passed us by as a result, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned about the musicians of Canada, it is that their riches flow ever in abundance.  Just for you, I’ve scooped a few prize catches from 2023’s already quickening stream.  These are songs I believe deserve to be held awhile in the light; to be marvelled at; to not go unsung into that digital ocean.  So, boil the kettle, read on and get ready to make some new Canadian acquaintances. 

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Hello, dearest readers, and welcome one and all to the first Maple Leaf roundup of 2022, where we bring you a smorgasbord of new music from Canada. It’s a big old place, you know, and it’s bursting with musical brilliance. Here are eight of our favourite finds. We hope you find something to enjoy in amongst the pile.

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The leaves have been falling for weeks and weeks, and I’m ashamed to say that I’ve been rather neglectful with the broom. Still, it’s never too late for a bit of a tidy up. What follows is a selection of the most golden and honeyed Canadian musical beauties to have drifted our way in the last couple of months. Sorry it’s taken us so long.

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Hello again, dear readers. The Canadian musical harvest has been as rich as ever this year and we’re here to share with you the best of a bumper crop. Take a seat with us at the Maple Leaf table and sample some of the lesser-known fare from over there in the Great White North. We do listen to music from all territories but, clearly, Ontario has had the best weather this year....

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Spring is springing and the birds are singing. As, indeed, are the singers and songwriters of Canada. In this, the latest edition of the Maple Leaf, we take you on a short walk across this blossoming landscape, and invite you to enjoy some of the bright new shoots that have been emerging along the way.

Mar 24, 2021
March 28, 2019 /Rich Barnard
Julian Taylor Band, Rvnners, Ted Kennedy, Saint Lo, Maple Leaf, Iskwē, Canada
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