A Daily Dose of Steel Cut Oats
Steel Cut Oats is a Halifax indie dream pop rock band. Their songs transcend you into a fantastical state of mind and bring iconic harmonies to make you feel out of this world. The group recorded their debut single My Funeral, in Yukon while hiking in the mountains for a week. Check out their EP At the Eleventh Hour.… Continue
August is for Absolute Losers!
Absolute Losers is a post-punk trio from PEI that is bringing tunes that make you groove. With unique vocals and riffs that will surely bring the vibes no matter where you are. Check out their newest single By Fright as well as their debut long player At The Mall, releasing August 4th.… Continue
Clea Anaïs on her introspective debut ‘Circle Zero’
Calgary-based Clea Anaïs is coming off the release of her debut album ‘Circle Zero’. A refreshing and invigorating full-length offering, her performance has received comparisons to the likes of Lana Del Rey, Japanese Breakfast, among others. A long time member of Canadian experimental indie-rock band ‘Raleigh’, Clea is now off on her own with the release of this latest 11 track offering.
Joe Hubley sat down with Clea Anaïs to break down her musical journey, the process of writing/recording this album, and touches on some of the struggles she went through that fuelled the conception of this record. Hear it all in this CHMA exclusive interview.
Kelly McMichael is making ‘Waves’ with her award-winning debut album
The career of award-winning musician Kelly McMichael has exploded since the release of her debut album ‘Waves’ in 2021. With songs like ‘Stepping Stone’ being named The East magazine’s #1 song of 2021, and her recognition at both the Music NL and East Coast Music Awards, McMichael made ripples through the Canadian music scene right out of the gate, and it’s safe to say she’s here to stay in a big way.
Joe Hubley sat down with the St. John’s singer/songwriter to talk about the writing process behind her debut album, her recent awards, and what she has coming in the future. Hear it all in this CHMA exclusive interview with Kelly McMichael.
Jean-Michel Blais reflects on his musical journey; latest album ‘aubades’
Since the release of his first album, il (2016), Jean-Michel Blais’ pristine piano playing has been revered by fans and fellow composers alike. Blais is constantly innovating and pushing the barriers of his compositional prowess, and his latest album ‘aubades’ is no exception to this proclivity.
Joe Hubley sat down with the Montréal-based pianist-composer-performer to speak about the process of developing his new collection of pieces, his remarkable musical journey, and much more. Hear it all in this CHMA exclusive interview.
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‘It’s as if you’re not doing it… it’s happening’: An interview with celebrated musician Janet Hammock
Listen to the Tuesday, May 24, 2022 edition of Tantramar Report:
Levee on the Lake prepares for summer festival after winning second East Coast Music Award
A Sackville festival has been honoured with an East Coast Music Award for the second consecutive year.
On May 8, Levee on the Lake was named Event of the Year at the awards event in Fredericton.
The festival is happening in Sackville again this summer from August 18 to 21.
It began in 2020, after the COVID-19 crisis wiped out the live music scene.
For that event, music lovers were physically-distanced in boats, with a paddle-up stage at Silver Lake. Last year, the festival moved onto dry land at Lillas Fawcett Park.
For more on the festival, CHMA spoke to organizers Shelley Chase and Stacey Read.
This report includes music performed by some of the artists on this year’s festival lineup, including the Barra MacNeils, Ivan Hicks, the Sacred Wolf Singer and Jud Gunning, whose version of Deep River Blues wraps up the show.
You can see the festival’s full line up at leveeonthelake.com.
Music in the Making: Freya Milliken on Pride NB and the versatility of genre
CHMA’s Christina Acton interviewed local musician Freya Milliken to hear about her first time recording a performance professionally, which will be a part of Pride NB’s Monday July 13th Facebook live variety show https://facebook.com/events/s/pride-nb-variety-show-fierte-n/618647385444248/?ti=ia
Freya also discussed the versatility of music making, and the importance of not viewing genre as a confining box.
“There was this 5 week project in my chamber music class, and basically the whole point of it was to look at musical genres differently by the end of it. I personally definitely found that I look at it differently now. So we were paired into different groups of like 4 or 5, and we would be assigned a certain genre and have to change it into a different one. So I remember a couple times, let’s see my group did rap to classical, and then there was like classical to bluegrass, and death metal to this, this to the death metal and whatnot, and basically our professor wanted us to see the musician behind the music, and not necessarily the music for what it is. Like when you think of death metal you think of aggressive sounds and screaming and what not but maybe it’s not that all the time you know. With pop you think it might be all fluffy bunnies and whatnot but maybe this person is actually trying to say something, actually trying to get something across. So bringing that back into my own music I’m thinking okay well how can I send this message but in a different way.… Continue