John Orpheus and his band will be performing at this year’s Small World Music Festival in Trillium Park on July 8th in Toronto. What a great way to celebrate the diverse sounds of summer and it’s all free!
For more information, go to the Small World Music Festival site: https://smallworldmusic.com/festival/
Creatively, Odario continues to surprise. The Toronto based solo artist collaborates with Edmonton based “beat aesthetics” Good Information on a brand new song and video called Do Nada. Released on the first day of summer, it perfectly captures the easy groove of the season, encouraging its listeners to literally do nada. Odario says that “This song goes out to all the hopeless romantics in search of a simpler, uncomplicated lifestyle. Do Nada is about taking a moment to reflect on a rapidly spinning world.“
Listen to the single and watch the video here: https://odariogoodinformation.lnk.to/donada
It’s been a long and interesting journey to the release of the debut Alex Exists album, Everybody’s Famous. On June 16th, you can experience the eight “pop through a blender” tracks that make up the album including the singles Dancing With Chaos, With A Bang and Believe The Hype. In addition to Alex who co-produced the album and played most of the instruments, other collaborators from the Popguru creative community to participate were Martha Johnson of Martha and the Muffins, Sam Casey, Chloe Kay, AARYS, Mike Schlosser and drummer Derek MacDiarmid. Rock The Pigeon wrote that “the album boasts an impressive collection of tracks that seamlessly blend various genres and influences, resulting in a unique and enthralling musical experience” while The Whole Kamese praised Alex’s “absolutely stunning debut album” and the fact that “Alex is an artist who isn’t afraid to create music that is both creative and unique”.
Check out the album and video here: https://alexexists.lnk.to/everybodysfamous
On May 12th, Sam Casey releases her new single, 7 Second Superstar. This is the first time that Sam has written with an all female crew. The song was a Transatlantic collaboration with Juliana Iannuzziello (Juliana Eye) and Chloe Kirson-Jones (Chloe Kay). It was written over Zoom as Chloe lives in the UK, and Sam and Juliana live in Canada. The track was produced, recorded and mixed by Mike Schlosser at Little Noise Studio in Edmonton and mastered by Reuben Ghose at Mojito Mastering. Casey describes 7 Second Superstar as “an unapologetic critique of TikTok’s impact on the music industry and song creation.” She feels that the platform is fostering a culture of one-hit-wonders and formulaic-sounding songs. After a conversation about their mutual experiences with the app, the song came together quite quickly and two hours later, they had a song!
Check out the single and video here: https://samcasey.lnk.to/7secondsuperstar
You can pre-save the new Alex Exists single Dancing With Chaos now. The single and video for this track will be available worldwide on March 10, 2023. Alex Exists says that, “This song is for anyone that feels overwhelmed by the state of the media, politics, and the unrealistic societal expectations that are placed on us. It’s an ode to confronting chaos and mania head on, and having fun with it,. Instead of running for the hills, I wrote the song to bring attention to the need for unabashed youthful energy; to exclaim what we cannot sometimes articulate ourselves. By letting go of control, one can surrender to the flow of life and trust in the journey, creating a sense of trust, peace, and serenity. From chaos comes creation. So, why not dance?”
You can pre-save the song here: https://alexexists.lnk.to/dancingwithchaos
Eyes Talk by Go International featuring Maiko was included in episode 9 of the CBC television series Pretty Hard Cases. The track can also be heard on the International Sound System Party, Volume 1 compilation album. It’s available on vinyl!
Check it out here: https://open.spotify.com/track/1wKiAr58jgGVJsQAT4Z76t?si=013b1d58815045a8
Sam Casey’s second EP, More Songs About Weed And Toxic Relationships, is now available worldwide. Casey says that, “More Songs About Weed And Toxic Relationships is not a misleading title. I sing a lot about relationships and weed while also expressing my opinion on certain societal flaws and some of my more positive experiences from university. This EP really allowed me to introduce myself to the audience. I stopped trying to sound so pretty all the time because I don’t feel or sound pretty all the time. I definitely talked shit about some guys in addition to telling people about myself which I found extremely therapeutic. All in all, the EP is inspired by life from 2020-2022: all the breakups, the makeups, the drugs, the dancing, the crying, the anxiety and the love. ALL OF IT!”
You can check out her EP here: https://samcasey.lnk.to/moresongs
Available worldwide today, Stupid Bitch is the third single and video from Sam Casey’s forthcoming EP, More Songs About Weed And Toxic Relationships. Casey says that “Stupid Bitch was originally written about a friend of mine who was continuing to go back to the same lying and possessive guy even though she KNEW he was toxic for her. In university, we would stay up late and have these deep and honest conversations about our boyfriends at the time. She would cry, scream and laugh about how terrible he was to her and how she knew she could do better. The seed of Stupid Bitch came from the realization that some people stay in toxic relationships because they are not ready to leave. It is not because they are unaware of their situation or too naive to see the effects that these partners have on there well-being. I find that there is this common misconception surrounding breakups: that there is a winner and a loser, and, even further, that the person being treated poorly is the loser. Stupid Bitch provides an alternative point of view of the ‘loser’. The chorus tells the story of a person who is aware of their partner’s narcissistic tendencies and uses that partner’s ego-centric lifestyle and lack of attention to grow and become independent in their own life before leaving him for good.”
You can check out the single and video here: http://samcasey.lnk.to/stupidb