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Crazies keep on crazying, Covid keeps on cavorting but, through it all, Canada keeps on calling. We get so much Canadian music in the RGM inbox it sometimes feels as if we’re being stalked by an entire nation. We are blessed with more than we can reasonably manage but, in our relentless quest for gems, we make sure we listen to everything and, in this, the eighteenth instalment of The Maple Leaf roundup, we share five of our finest finds.
Read MoreAnd we’re back! Told you we would be. We currently find ourselves inundated with fine Canadian music on a scale that is - wait for it - unprecedented. I assure you, however, we are fully equipped to manage the current surge. Honestly, we are. So, without further facetiousness, here are five more Things You Must Hear from our cousins across the water.
Read MoreVirtuoso guitarist Jon Gomm has released ‘Deep Sea Fishes’ the second single from his ‘The Faintest Idea’ album due via the Kscope label on October 16th, 2020. The single perfectly showcases the power of Jon’s technique which he uses in a positive and very melodic way to deliver something rather special and more emotional than you might expect. Please read on to learn more about Jon, the interesting back story behind ‘Deep Sea Fishes’, the new album and full details of his upcoming tour in support of ‘The Faintest Idea’ (tour dates are obviously subject to change in these troubling times).
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 MoreCanada has produced a mind-melting amount of must-hear music so far this year and, as we reluctantly tiptoe into the autumn months, she shows no sign of slowing down. The leaves outside may be turning, curling and falling but the RGM Maple Leaf roundup is, as ever, bursting with life and promise. The recent harvest has been so rich and abundant that it won’t be long before we come knocking with more, but let us not get ahead of ourselves. For now, just see if these perfectly ripe beauties can’t banish your September blues.
Read MoreThe destination for many UK Country and Americana fans this weekend (September 12th, 2020) would have been The Long Road Festival but unfortunately, that was not to be and The Long Road will return in 2021. In the meantime it’ll be doing its bit to promote UK Country music with Hometown Sounds a new online event. Hometown Sounds will premiere on Facebook & YouTube Live at 8PM on 12th September, before airing as a special edition of ‘Country Hits Brits’ by Country Hits Radio at 7PM on Sunday 13th September. Content will then be available on-demand thereafter. The show will be presented by TLR's Creative Director and Country Hits Radio Host Baylen Leonard, and feature exclusive live performances and interviews filmed in Camden Town with Ward Thomas, The Adelaides and Ferris & Sylvester - plus a guest performance from Brandy Clark remote from LA. Full details about Hometown Sounds and much more about The Long Road Festival 2021 follows:
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 MoreSeptember 1st, 2020 and RGM is six years old today. This year has been without a doubt the toughest yet here at RGM, which I’m sure will come as no surprise to anyone reading this little editorial as its been a tough year for everyone. Undaunted, if more than a little battered and bruised emotionally, we are still here looking to introduce you to more new and interesting music in a range of musical genres. With this in mind, the Inbox returns with tunes from both sides of the Atlantic as newcomer Lauren Moon and a returning Sam Brookes are joined by The Jorgensens reinventing a classic and Jake Allen doing his bit for our mental health through song.
Read MoreWayne Hussey has enlisted the help of a host of artists from the Alternative and Goth Rock fields to record a new version of the classic ‘Tower Of Strength’ which is released today (August 28th, 2020) digitally with a physical release on CD and 12” vinyl to follow on October 2nd, 2020. The single features such luminaries as Billy Duffy, Midge Ure, Gary Numan, Budgie and Julianne Regan among many others, all of whom chose a charity to benefit from the single. Full details of all the artists involved, the video for ‘Tower of Strength 2020’ and links to buy and stream the single follow:
Read MoreIn the latest inbox feature, we’ve got a range of international talent for your perusal. From Canada, Terra Lightfoot returns with a new single and an album on the way while closer to home UK pedal steel legend BJ Cole is sharing his love of Hawaiian music. Speaking of sunnier climates (although High Wycombe would give Hawaii a run for its money in the heat stakes this week) we’ve got a London based Aussie in Nick Kingswell with a terrific single and also from Australia The Buckleys a sibling trio breaking out of their homeland with a nice line in pop-country.
Read MoreAn interesting new development for those of us missing live music and in need of our concert fix is available from FanTracks. The newly launched subscription live concert streaming service will give a World Premier to a show by 311 on August 15th, 2020, The HD/4K concert was filmed in February of 2020 during Mardi Gras weekend at The Fillmore in New Orleans. This was one of the last concerts to be recorded before health and safety precautions were put into place regarding live events. FanTracks is premiering this concert to all via their platform and DIRECTV on Saturday, August 15, 2020 at 9pm ET and can be streamed by fans for free with a first-month-free subscription, followed by $1.99 a month. This subscription unlocks a catalogue of shows ranging from classic to modern rock, as well as more features during the concert live streams. The press release follows with loads more details about 311 and FanTracks:
Read MoreThe Red Guitar Music inbox feature returns after a brief hiatus with more excellent and varied sounds. In this edition, we’ve music from both sides of the Atlantic. Ace singer/guitarist JD Simo has a new album in the can while another RGM regular Ferris & Sylvester returns with a new EP ready to go and touring plans for 2021. The newcomers this time out are Dan Friese, a singer/songwriter from the USA, and from nearer home (Brighton to be exact) Melanie Howard aka Such Small Hands with an album of melancholy dark pop a decade in the making.
Read MoreCanada is overflowing with music. The best songs, having risen to the top, float over the ocean and bubble through the waterways of the UK where we are poised, net in hand, to scoop them up from the little stream that runs behind RGM HQ. We’ve caught some lovely things for our latest Maple Leaf roundup and now we invite you to sit with us in the sunshine and admire each one before we gently lower them back in again to continue their journey downriver.
Read MoreWelcome to the latest instalment of the RGM inbox feature where we shine a light on a range of artists and recent releases you might have missed. With so much music being released daily it’s tough to keep up and there are many, many artists releasing quality music that could get lost in the shuffle. As usual, the RGM Inbox is an international affair with contributions from the USA, North Wales and an Australian based in the UK.
Read MoreIt’s always a thrill to discover new tunes from our brothers and sisters in Canada and, as the Maple Leaf Roundup turns two years old, I feel particularly warm and fuzzy to think of the sixty or seventy artists we’ve met along the road so far. If you’re only just joining us on the journey, the good news is that the nation’s musical gifts never seem to stop giving, so climb on board and allow us to introduce your newest (and soon to be bestest) Canadian friends.
Read MoreWelcome to the belated May edition of the RGM Inbox. In this latest instalment, we feature two names that I’m sure will be familiar to many readers in Emily Zuzik and David Berkeley. Rounding out this months quartet we’ve David Ramirez, the Texas-based singer-songwriter with a cool-sounding new record in the can and virtuoso guitarist Jon Gomm who revisits his past as he embarks on the next phase of his career with a new record label.
Read MoreWith the walls starting to close in you begin to wonder how things are going, both mentally and physically, when out of the blue an old friend comes back into your life and things seem to be a little bit better. The old friend, in this case, is not someone I know personally but a new song by The Jayhawks. ‘This Forgotten Town’ is the new single from their upcoming XOXO album due July 10th via Sham/Thirty Tigers. The really good news is it sounds exactly how you’d like a new Jayhawks song to sound and that works for me. More info about the album and the first single follows:
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 MoreShannon LaBrie was born in Lincoln, Nebraska but has been based in Nashville since 2008. Newly signed to the Moraine Music Group Shannon delivers a powerful bluesy/soulful take on Americana with the release of her new single ‘Firewalker’ on May 1st, 2020. The track was penned by Shannon with Tia Sillers and exceptional Australian guitarist Joe Robinson. If ‘Firewalker’ is a taster for an upcoming album then I’m going to be in the queue to check that out. Please read on for more about Shannon, including an isolation version of ‘Firewalker’ and a live stream via Rockwood Music Hall in the early hours of 2nd May UK time:
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