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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.
Read MoreEver since big-haired hard rock was criminalised in the spring of 1993, those with a medical dependency on the genre have found it increasingly difficult to know where to turn. Thankfully, for these broken and desperate souls there is finally a sanctuary. No longer must they endlessly search for misfiled contraband in the planet’s fourteen remaining record shops. No longer do they need to be sat in front of eBay, fruitlessly entering euphemistic search terms like “perm noise” in the hope that they might score a forbidden fix. No longer. These unfortunate creatures – perhaps you are one of them – now have a refuge and that refuge is The Hard Place. Welcome, friend. Here, finally, you are understood. Everything you are about to sample is pure rock of the highest quality. And, best of all, it’s all legal.
Read MoreOkay Canada, go easy on me. I somehow find myself in February 2021 trying to pick five chunks of hot new music for this feature, having amassed a ruthlessly edited shortlist of around 35. How did this happen, Canada? I can only account for the disappearance of an entire January by weeping before a hand-drawn graph of an alarming home-learning curve. You’ve made me choose, Canada, and it’s been hard. Nevertheless, here I am again, your most loyal of servants, educating the RGM readership on the subject of your latest and loveliest musical works of wonder.
Read MoreIf you like to hibernate over the winter then it’s likely that these words are reaching you as you continue to languish in an eiderdown-enrobed soft place. You’re cosy, you’re warm and you may well be under the impression that there is precious little to get out of bed for anyway. The Hard Place is here to tell you the f**k otherwise. The Hard place is a bucket of cold water hurled over your snoozings. The Hard Place is here, now, to drag you out of that pathetic torpor into a world where leaping from drum risers is de rigeur and staying up all night to a soundtrack of deafening guitars is a raison d’être. So, stop snivelling and get yourself dressed, preferably in something black and butt-squeezingly tight. Good. Now, ready yourself to rock.
Read MoreWhen the force of nature that is Amigo The Devil toured the UK in early 2020 in support of his fantastic 'Everything Is Fine' album, the world was a far different place. Looking back Amigo The Devil’s dark gothic tales were a perfect match for the upcoming pandemic, but at the time the RGM crew were merely staggered by his ability to mesmerize a crowd. We were witnessing something very, very special and ATD was most certainly the real deal. Nearly a year later and ATD is back with a terrific new single ‘Another Man’s Grave’ from his upcoming Beau Bedford (The Texas Gentlemen / Paul Cauthen) produced album ‘Born Against’ set for April 16th, 2021 release via Liars Club. More about the album including the single follows:
Read MoreWe all knew this winter was going to be hard. But nobody could have foreseen just how hard. Here, at the never-beating, black granite heart of The Hard Place, we’d like to think we can make it just that little bit harder. Just for you. “How hard?” you ask, expectant and not a little apprehensive. And the answer is “None. None more hard.” Walk with us now, barefoot, through the broken-bottle-strewn wasteland of rock’s best new releases.
Read MoreIt’s time for another dive into the RGM Inbox where a host of gems are ready for discovery. We like to feature a wide range of music at RGM and November has seen a host of interesting releases in a wide range of genres. The advice is always to give things a go, step outside of your comfort zone and discover something a little different. This month we’ve new music from Phil Gould a founding member of Level 42, pop-rock from Andy Keels that harks back to the ‘80s an era that Liverpool band Candy Opera originated from before they took a thirty-year career break. Last but not least we catch up with Zac Brown Band founding member John Driskell Hopkins and a taster from his ‘Lonesome High’ album due in February 2021.
Read MoreIt’s dark. You blink your eyes to try and take in some light but you realise that there is only black. You can barely move, surrounded by rock on all sides. Your heart races but then suddenly you realise you’ve been here before. Yes, you have come again to The Hard Place; you’re not sure how it happened but here you are. Here, and only here, will you satisfy your (understandably secret) desire to discover the very finest new things in the big-haired realm of melodic rock. Relax now, and let us show you the way…
Read MoreBob Harris the veteran broadcaster is celebrating 50 years in the business and to coincide his latest project is a charity single in aid of Help Musicians. Bob’s favourite song is ‘Stand By Me’ which coincidentally turns 60 on October 27th, the release date of this new version of the classic track. Bob has seen and done it all in his long career (briefly being employed as John Martyn’s guitar tech is one highlight that springs to mind) and has a pretty envious address book to be able to call on a host of stars to help out with ‘Stand By Me’ including Darius Rucker, Mark Knopfler, Rosanne Cash, Rick Wakeman, Paul Rodgers, Peter Frampton, Richard Thompson, John Oates, Leo Sayer, The Shires, Ward Thomas and many more. Full details about the single, the Help Musicians charity, the artists and links to pre-order/buy the single follow:
Read MoreIf variety is the spice of life, then today’s Hard Place menu is, we must warn you, hotter than ever before. We’ve got hard bits, soft bits (sue me) and even prog bits but, as usual, all of our bits are exceedingly good. There are no specials on the board because everything here is gourmet. We have assembled the tastiest new treats on the scene so, get as comfortable as you can in those leather trousers and prepare for a four-course feast of sizzling melodic rock delights.
Read MoreWelcome back to The Hard Place, where the hair is big, the guitars are pointy and the teeth have almost certainly undergone a recent whitening procedure. In this, our second all-killer-no-filler roundup, we aim to pleasure you guiltily with the news of the latest melodic hard rock from all four corners of the globe; and we know that - for you - only the best will do. So, sit back, relax and remember, in The Hard Place, no-one can see you playing air guitar.
Read MoreAlthough probably best known for his drum prowess, and for his time in Spock’s Beard, the multi-instrumentalist Nick D’Virgilio has also played with many great bands including Big Big Train, Genesis and Tears For Fears. On June 26th NDV will release his second solo album a mere nineteen years after his first. The album features a stunning list of great players including Paul Gilbert (Racer X/Mr. Big), Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater), Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick) and Carl Verheyen (Supertramp). Much more about NDV and the new album including ‘Where’s The Passion’ the first track released from the record follows:
Read MoreWhile life for all of us is pretty weird, here at RGM we’ve been taking comfort in the things that never change. Spring keeps springing; socks still inexplicably disappear in the laundry and singers - in their thousands - keep singing songs. That remains as true as ever for the musicians of Canada, the very best of whose recent releases are gathered here for you in this, the thirteenth instalment of the Maple Leaf Roundup.
Read MoreMusic Venue Trust has announced #saveourvenues, a new national campaign to save hundreds of grassroots music venues at imminent risk of being closed down – permanently. Registered charity the Music Venue Trust currently has 556 venues up and down the UK at risk of closure. Venues that play an essential role in promoting talent and often as a community hub for many other endeavours. Please read on to find out more about #saveourvenues and how you can get involved:
Read MoreItalian label Frontiers Music has been forced to delay their release schedule as the COVID-19 continues to impact the world. Not wanting to let a day pass unnoticed when they had five new releases planned they’ve put together a 20 track sampler that features recent and upcoming releases from the label. The tracks are available to download for FREE via the official Frontiers website or to stream via Spotify and Youtube. This seems like an ideal time to check out a slew of melodic hard rock as you never know what you might discover. Full details and a little more about Frontiers Music follows:
Read MoreBack in 1980, The Vapors burst onto the scene with their ‘Turning Japanese’ single a classic slab of spiky power pop/new wave that still sounds remarkably fresh in 2020. I’m pleased to report the band are celebrating the forty years since that landmark release with a new album fittingly entitled ‘Together’ due May 15th via Absolute. The first single from the album ‘Crazy’ shows that despite the passing of time The Vapors are staying true to their roots. The band hope to tour later this year with a show set to include tracks from the new album and their ‘New Clear Days debut record performed in full. Please read on for much more about The Vapors and music from ‘Together’:
Read MoreWelcome to The Hard Place, a tight-trousered treasure trove of new melodic hard rock from all over the world. Here at RGM we’re pretty picky when it comes to our big hair and braying guitars so, as ever, our focus is on quality over quantity.
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April 2018 will see the release of the definitive Wishbone Ash box set. 'The Vintage Years' is a strictly limited edition (2,500 copies) deluxe 30 CD set authorised by all of the original band members. The set features 16 studio albums, 3 live albums (Live Dates 1 & 2 + Live In Tokyo) and 8 previously unreleased live albums. The studio albums all feature bonus material and the box also includes a 156 page hardback book and a host of memorablia including posters and a 7" flexi disc (which is about as retro as it gets). A breakdown of the contents of The Vintage Years (1970-1991) follows including a video trailer for the box follows:
Read MoreRegular RGM readers will need no introduction to Canadian singer-songwriter Colleen Brown who we featured on a UK tour back in 2015. Colleen has teamed up with fellow Canadians Scenic Route To Alaska for a new venture Major Love. The first new music from this partnership is the infectious 'Tear It Down' single with an album due early in 2018. More about the band and the video for 'Tear It Down' follows:
Read MoreJD McPherson has released a video for 'Lucky Penny' the first taste of his upcoming album 'Undivided Heart & Soul' due October 6th, 2017. The video was shot where the album was recorded, the historic RCA Studio B in Nashville. So McPherson is following in the footsteps of Roy Orbison, Dolly Parton, Jim Reeves and Elvis (pretty impressive company). The album includes collaborations with artists from a range of genres including Parker Millsap and Butch Walker. An extensive press release and the video for 'Lucky Penny' follows:
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