What: Alternative Pop

Where: Toronto, ON

Visit: www.foresmemusic.com
After releasing a self-titled EP in 2011, Martha Meredith took a couple of years off, retreated with her notebook, and starting penning the backbone of the songs that would be the first performed by her new band, For Esmé. The atmospheric indie-pop album certainly has a touch of solitude and space to it. Much of this comes from the contributions of bandmates Adam Balsam (Most Serene Republic), Nathan Crook and Kevin Blair (Take With Audio), and Kathryn Merriam on synths and backing vocals.

However, the highlight of the album is Meredith’s vocals and work on keys, which give the songs a vibrancy they wouldn’t have in her absence. While For Esmé hasn’t had the opportunity to play many shows yet, their self-titled EP was released just this past June and you can expect the band to play showcases throughout the Toronto area as booking agents take note. The EP is certainly an ambitious debut project, but Meredith and company have released a collection of songs that sound and feel whole – a remarkable feat this early in a project.

]]> http://canadianmusician.com/showcase/index.php/2013/10/16/for-esme/feed/ 0 http://canadianmusician.com/showcase/index.php/2013/10/16/the-color/ http://canadianmusician.com/showcase/index.php/2013/10/16/the-color/#comments Wed, 16 Oct 2013 14:32:46 +0000 Zack http://canadianmusician.com/showcase/?p=832

What: Pop/rock

Where: Winkler, MB

Visit: www.thecoloronline.com
Singer-songwriter Jordan Janzen spent six years on his own before reuniting with his old bandmates to record and release The Color’s debut album in March 2012. After plenty of early success in talent shows, Janzen ended up putting his first band together and touring the country with Amanda Falk before disbanding. In 2008, he auditioned for Canadian Idol, falling just short of the show’s top 20.

Not one to be dissuaded, Janzen recorded his first solo album, Crazy, with his father, landing international airplay and gigs alongside
Marianas Trench and Thousand Foot Krutch.

Finally, in 2009, Janzen ran into his former high school bandmate, James Sheils, and the two began writing what would become The Color’s first batch of songs.

The pop rock collection that makes up the album is highly polished and radio ready with catchy hooks and powerful choruses. While the album’s musicianship is commendable, the songs really serve as a way to showcase Janzen’s vocals, which are perfectly suited for this type of rock. Now if only someone would teach them how we spell “colour”…

What: Alternative Rock

Where: Victoria, BC

CM Issue: September-October 2013

Visit: www.handsomedistraction.com

Handsome Distraction claims to be influenced by modern American rock bands such as Weezer, Foo Fighters, and Kings of Leon. While all that’s true (check out the huge, catchy choruses and riffs), their most appealing characteristic comes from their borrowing of swagger seen in early 21^st century Scandinavian rock from bands like The Hives and Turbonegro and especially The (International) Noise Conspiracy, who’s influence is especially prevalent on “No False Alarm” – a catchy, urgent, and up-tempo jam.

Handsome Distraction has been plenty busy, releasing three EPs over the same number of years. Their most recent, A Mighty Roar, was released in May 2013. The album follows 2012’s Fight or Flight, which they supported with a tour across the country. Their plans for the near future include a Western Canadian tour in September and a U.S. tour throughout the winter and fans of rock and roll with some intense immediacy should take note.

]]> http://canadianmusician.com/showcase/index.php/2013/10/16/handsome-distraction/feed/ 0 http://canadianmusician.com/showcase/index.php/2013/07/26/the-roberts-creek-saloon/ http://canadianmusician.com/showcase/index.php/2013/07/26/the-roberts-creek-saloon/#comments Fri, 26 Jul 2013 19:06:33 +0000 Zack http://canadianmusician.com/showcase/?p=804

What: Alternative/Folk

Where: Quebec City, QC

CM Issue: July-August 2013

Visit: www.robertscreeksaloon.com

The Robert’s Creek Saloon is a band built around the principle of not setting limits or planning in advance, and it’s a decision that comes across loud and clear in their music. Equal parts ska, swing, cabaret, and rock, the band pulls the listener across multiple genres on an extremely fun musical ride.

Named after an artistic community in British Columbia, the band imagines they sound like what one might expect to be playing in a saloon there, should one ever be built. Fans of Gogol Bordello will love this home-grown take on fun genre mashing, as will those who embrace the band’s commitment to spontaneity and unconventional paths. The Robert’s Creek Saloon released a self-titled EP in 2012 and are currently making it available on their Bandcamp page. What are you waiting for? Go get it!

What: Alternative

Where: Vancouver, BC

CM Issue: July-August 2013

Visit: www.artkenyon.bandcamp.com

Twenty-year-old Art Kenyon has been a busy man. The alt-rocker has released two six-song EPs in the last couple of years and just recently dropped his first LP, Paradise or Paradigm, earlier this summer.

Kenyon describes his music as “alternative rock with an R&B crossover,” which fits to a degree, but it’s his changes in song structure that really stand out. Some songs sound like a more subdued version of mid-‘90s Canadian indie rock while others, such as “This Girl’s Trouble” are a more bombastic attempt to craft a modern rock hit. In addition to his musical endeavours, Kenyon takes much pride in his non-profit work, having worked heavily with food sustainability efforts in his hometown of Vancouver, and plans to contribute to Habitat Villa, a community garden in Vancouver, during 2013.

What: Hip-Hop/Rap

Where: Toronto, ON

CM Issue: July-August 2013

Visit: www.osiymmusic.com

OSIYM (Out of Sight In Your Mind) are two Toronto MCs who bring southern U.S.-style hip-hop north of the border. The duo, consisting of MCs Charlie Black and Nova, has been making waves in Toronto’s underground hip-hop scene for a few years.

Black released two mixtapes (D.E.S.T.A. Dude and Work in Progress), both to respectable acclaim, while Nova released It Was All a Dream prior to the formation of OSIYM. Their best songs, such as “3pm Tippin,” straddle the line between underground hip-hop and club bangers. There’s not a whole lot here for those who prefer the style of other popular Canadian MCs such as Shad or Cadence Weapon, but there’s lots of room for different styles of hip-hop in Canada, especially when it’s a style that we’re not accustomed to seeing created here.

OSIYM is currently working on an EP, tentatively titled Drunk Words X Sober Thoughts, but in the meantime, try to catch them live. The beats they’ve released thus far are heavy, and their vocal style lends itself to a wild stage show, paired well with artists like Waka Flocka Flame, with whom they’ve already performed.

What: Alternative Pop
Where: Toronto, ON
CM Issue: May – June 2013
Visit: www.christvskrishna.com

Toronto indie rockers Christ vs. Krishna might have a polarizing name, but they have a unifying sound. Their mellow British new wave-influenced indie rock is a sound that’s all too easy to fall in love with.

The band released a self-titled EP in 2009 with their first full-length, Sidewalk Astronomy, following in 2011. They’re back this year with a seven-song EP titled Move and Scale and plan to bring their critically-acclaimed live show across the country to promote it. The band’s hook-ridden and supremely rhythmic songs have all the ingredients necessary to make the band an indie staple alongside acts such as The New Pornographers and Stars. Their songs are easy to get into, at which point the listener discovers the buried melodies and hidden intricacies within tracks such as “Full Circle,” making for an ever-evolving and lasting experience.

What: Reggae
Where: Aylmer, QC
CM Issue: May – June 2013
Visit: www.lesmosquitos.com

Les Mosquitos’ fun fusion of reggae and ska is the perfect blend for the coming summer months. The Aylmer, QC quintet spent 2012 promoting their debut EP, Chasing the Dragon, filming a music video for its lead single “My Muse,” and making waves throughout their region with radio contest winds and sold-out shows.

The songs on Chasing the Dragon are accessible and inviting to would-be partiers who will be filling patios during the summer; think Sublime without the depressing subject matter. They plan on taking some time to write and record new material and may not be on the road too much this summer. In the meantime, hunt down a copy of Chasing the Dragon and turn it up when you’re feeling good or want to feel better.

What: Pop Punk
Where: Toronto, ON
CM Issue: May – June 2013
Visit: www.thegentlementhieves.com

When I was growing up outside of Toronto, I used to venture into the city to check out Fat Wreck Chords and Epitaph bands playing some
of the city’s storied music venues. As a suburban kid trying to expand my taste in music, I was often just as impressed with the opening acts,
which were often new to me, than I was with the headliners. My early live music memories are filled with summer nights where I’d pop a new
CD from a new band into the car on the drive home, listening to it with the smells and sounds of a young summer night passing through the
open windows.

The Gentlemen Thieves represent the kind of band I remember from those nights. These guys play a poppier NOFX style of melodic punk that’s unrefined but full of potential. Their Crafting Lies EP brought them across Canada on one tour so far and they will be playing dates across eastern Canada by the time this column goes to print (and after they finish recording a new album), just in time to create memories similar
to mine for a new generation of music fans.

What: Hip-Hop/Rap
Where: Edmonton, AB
CM Issue: March – April 2013
Visit: www.thisisrellik.com

Edmonton’s Rellik is a genre-bending hip-hop group fronted by group namesake Billy “Rellik” Leblanc alongside R&B vocalist Andrew Decorby and DJ Sean Joyner. The eclectic project is sometimes joined live onstage by four-piece backing band 3 Days Per Diem.

Mixing live instruments with classic hip-hop turntablism, crew vocals, and inclusive lyrics, Rellik summons the best parts of ‘90s revivalists Jurassic 5 or Talib Kweli, and has performed alongside the latter. The group’s lyrics also highlight the adversity experienced by Leblanc while growing up native in low income housing and going through a custody battle for his two sons; however, Rellik attempts to be inclusive in his music, saying, “While still in touch with our aboriginal roots, I feel the need to write material that all hip-hop listeners can relate to, regardless of their ethnic background or experiences.”

Rellik released their first album, Mighty Mouth, in 2011 as well as a remix of the album in early 2013 with contributing producers from across Canada. Despite having just one album under their collective belt, Rellik has played hundreds of shows in the Edmonton area and abroad. The upcoming release of Cut From a Different Cloth, the band’s sophomore LP due in late spring 2013, should ensure that the number of pins on the map continues to grow.