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The Junction is a Toronto based three-piece outfit who have been serenading clubs and venues since their inception in early 2000. With a penchant for hard work, and the ability to wow different audiences all over the world, the guys are back with yet another absolutely ground breaking recording. The band’s sound is defined head on by front man and lead vocalist Brent Jackson, who demands attention from the stage to the stereo. His sultry, and often times haunting vocal range always leaves the listener feeling a little closer to him; perhaps even imploring anyone who’s heard what he has to say to dig a little bit deeper, challenging us to offer up our own version of authentic. Jackson’s rhythm section is comprised of bassist Matt Jameson, and drummer Mike Taylor whose rhythmic back-bone add just the right layers and textures, helping to bring Jackson’s relentlessly honest, heartfelt songs to life. The trio are a cohesive unit with a work ethic any indie label would applaud, and inevitably gravitate towards. That being said, their new home at Culvert Music is an undeniably great fit for the release of their brand new, long awaited LP – City Nights.

The progression of their career embodies the true concept of passion in music. The Junction is the perfect example of the artist’s quandary when it comes to having to continuously fight the good fight, and maintain their vision, all the while navigating a seriously tough industry landscape. Right from the beginning with their debut release, And With This Comes Tomorrow (Universal 2005), these guys have created an incredibly loyal fan base, slugging it out in the days of DIY touring, to creatively trying to find new and innovative ways to fund their craft. From making music videos in Iceland for Grievances (Fontana North / The Junction Inc. 2012), to heading back to the drawing board, and realizing an entirely different stream of songs, one thing is certain, The Junction are a force to be reckoned with now more than ever.

There is a calm about this group of seasoned musicians, and a maturity that’s palpable in the world of their latest creation, City Nights. This new body of work will take the listener on a mood ride resembling something inspired by Radiohead’s DJ Shadow era, Pink Floyd, or even something scored from a Stanley Kubrick Film – ala Clockwork Orange. It’s a record you want to lend your ears to – quite literally – with headphones on for at least your first time through. Clearly this band of brothers not only wants to challenge their die-hard fans with something completely fresh and new, but the boys are looking to remind the world that they will always be far from done. Whether they are working fearlessly with traditional, jazzy, rock chord progressions, or now venturing into sound creation that can only be described as one thing– their own – The Junction are back, and in a way that nobody’s experienced up until now.

Much like any 10 year overnight success that exists out there in the musical stratosphere, this band makes no excuses, and apologizes to no one for always staying completely true to their vision. A remarkably unique and daring new statement, the album’s title track City Nights, is due out this spring.

From Matt Jameson (Bass)

Latest Single: Changes

Favourite Restaurant: Banjara

Favourite band as teenager: Nirvana

Favourite band now:  Yussf Kamaal

Guilty Pleasure Song: Do What You Want – Lady Gaga

Live Show Ritual: We do a huddle on stage before performing

Favourite local artist: Constantines

Sneaky Dees nachos, Hey Meatball spaghetti or a superfood salad from Fresh?
Night time, Sneaky Dee’s all the way…day time, Fresh would win.

Queen or College St? College

Trinity Bellwoods or Highpark? High Park.

EP or LP? LP

Early bird or night owl? Both! Survive with naps.

Road or studio? Studio

Swiss Chalet or Roti? Roti. And more specifically, Roti Cuisine of India (Dupont and Spadina)

Keep up to date with The Junction through their website.

The Junction is playing on June 3 2017 at The Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto w/Kayto and Krief (album release show)

TICKETS

(Advance tickets also available at Rotate This, Soundscapes & The Horseshoe front bar)

The post Meet Local Toronto Musicians: The Junction appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

Metz
May 1 & 2 at Lee’s Palace at 11pm

Broncho
May 7 at Horseshoe Tavern at 11pm

Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts
May 7 at The Mod Club at 11pm

LYON
May 8 at The Mod Club at 10pm

Stu Larsen
May 2 at The Rivoli at 10pm

King Tuff
May 7 Lee’s Palace at 12am & May 8 at Hard Luck bar at 10:45pm

Death Cab for Cutie
May 7 at The Sony Centre for the Performing Arts at 9pm

CMW website.

The post Canadian Music Week 2015 – Must See Shows appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

Honest, quirky and infused with country-roots describes the heart of singer/songwriter Whitney Rose’s new sophomore record, Heartbreaker of the Year. Produced by Raul Malo (The Mavericks) and recorded in four days at Revolution Studios in Toronto, the album also features Jay Weaver (Mavericks, Dolly Parton) on bass, Nichol Robertson (Devin Cuddy Band) on guitars, Jerry Dale McFadden (Mavericks) on keys, Paul Deakin (Mavericks) on drums, Burke Carroll on pedal steel, and Drew Jurecka on strings. The album will be Rose’s second on Cameron House Records, an offshoot of the legendary Toronto club, made famous by Handsome Ned. Heartbreaker of the Year won us over with Rose’s talented voice and upbeat country twang. Our favourite tracks include ‘Little Piece of You’ and ‘Heartbreaker of the Year.’

I had the chance to chat with Whitney Rose about her new album and all the things she loves about our awesome city.

Congrats on the new album. Tell us about the recording process.

Well, thank you! I’m really excited for this one. I’d like to say the recording process was a whole lot of blood, sweat and tears but really that phase was probably prior to stepping through the studio doors. I recorded most of the album with Raul Malo of the Mavericks, a few of his band mates and my guitar player Nichol Robertson at Revolution Recording in Toronto’s east end. It’s hard to say how it happened, but somehow it was just a relaxed- dare I say FUN- recording session. My management worked really hard to ensure that everything ran smoothly schedule-wise and the musicians are so professional, so talented, and so lovely. It may have just been the perfect combination of the perfect people for the job. Don’t get me wrong though- they were long days and everyone worked hard.

Interesting album title. Do you see yourself as a heartbreaker?

Ha! No. ‘Heartbreaker of the Year’ is a track on my record, and when it was suggested to me that it be the title of the album I was initially very against it, for that very reason- that people would assume I was calling myself a heartbreaker. I guess having my giant face next to those very words on the album cover won’t help my case… but the song is about a heartbreaker, written from the perspective of the heartbroken.

Check out a live version of the title track below!

Were the songs on the new album a collection you’ve written over the years or were they created over the past little while? 

The earliest song composed for Heartbreaker was in 2013 and the newest composition was just a few months before we began recording. So pretty fresh.

Do you prefer performing solo or with a band?

Full band. And if a smaller sound is required for a specific show I’ll perform as a duo.

How long have you been playing music? What keeps the fire going?

I’ve been singing and have loved music since before I can remember, but I didn’t start writing my own music until about five years ago and that marked a big change in my life. I’ve always loved to write…in a journal, fictional short stories- that kind of thing. I started a novel once but I didn’t finish it and likely never will. So, having always loved music and having always loved writing I was like a kid in a candy store when I finally realized I could combine the two. I discovered a whole new side of myself, and an incredible outlet that can’t be taken away from me and I will treasure it for the rest of my life.

Do you incorporate any covers in your current live set?

I do, and I love playing covers which is a blessing because they’re pretty essential to round out my live show. If you’re playing a late night club gig and you’re the only band on the bill you sometimes have to play from 10 pm to 2 am and I simply don’t have that much original material.

THE TRACKLIST

01 – Little Piece Of You
02 – My First Rodeo
03 – The Last Party
04 – Only Just A Dream
05 – Heartbreaker Of The Year
06 – Be My Baby
07 – The Devil Borrowed My Boots
08 – Ain’t It Wise
09 – Lasso
10 – Tear In My Beer

If you had to collaborate with one Toronto band, who would it be and why?

The Sadies. Because they are brilliant, they put on an incredible live show, and maybe it would make me cool by proxy.

What’s your favourite song you’ve ever written?

One of the first songs I ever wrote. It’s called ‘Go Lightly’ and it will likely never see the light of day.

What do you do when you’re not doing anything musical?

I think about the next opportunity I’ll have to do something musical.

Top 3 artists that have inspired you?

Dolly Parton, Judy Garland, Kitty Wells

Favourite place to eat in Toronto? 

I absolutely love The Whippoorwill in Bloordale. And Amico’s in Parkdale is unassuming but very cool vibes and my favourite calamari in the city. You need to try it. Go with the pan fried option.

What do you think of physical vs digital album sales? Do you have a preference? Are CD’s done?

As a fan of music, there is something very special about holding it in your hands and for that reason I will always buy physical copies of the records I want- be it on vinyl or CD. A lot of thought goes into the presentation of a physical record- it’s an art in its own. As an artist, I don’t really care in what form my albums are sold, as long as they’re sold! That said, selling records at live shows is a really enjoyable part of what I do, because I usually get to meet the people who are buying them and getting to thank them in person means a lot to me. CDs definitely appear to be on their way out, but they’re certainly not done yet. I hope not anyway- I just had a few thousand printed. Ha!

What is one thing people don’t know about you that they wouldn’t expect?

I played the upright bass when I was twelve. So that’s technically my first instrument.

Rapid fire:

Sneaky Dees nachos, Hey Meatball spaghetti or a superfood salad from Fresh?

Of these three options, if I said anything other than Fresh I’d be lying. I realize this is boring, and for that I apologize.

Queen or College St? 

Queen all the way.

Trinity Bellwoods or Highpark? 

Trinity Bellwoods.

EP or LP?

LP.

Early bird or night owl? 

Would you believe I somehow manage to be both?

Road or studio?

Road.

What’s next for Whitney Rose? 

The release of Heartbreaker of the Year at the Horseshoe Tavern on April 21st. That’s what I’ve gotta focus on right now, which is a little difficult for one who likes to take three steps at a time…following that, it’ll be touring the record across the Canada and following that, outside of Canada.

The post Whitney Rose – sophomore album appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

Walk Off The Earth has used social media, specifically Youtube videos, to build a solid fan base. It was their Youtube cover video of Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know” in early 2012 which went viral. The video had about 120 million views within only four months and the concept was creative as well: all five band members were playing on one guitar.

Walk Off The Earth (WOTE) had been a band for about eight years and finally decided to focus on their youtube videos, including cover songs, instead of performing only live shows. They ‘ve hit the mark and look at where they’re at now; they’ve signed a deal with Columbia Records and they’re touring the world.

In a time where Independent musicians have used the freedom of the Internet, WOTE has joined a major label to conquer a broader fan base. The band is continuing to make innovative videos, including covers and originals, and have recently teamed up with Patreon, a crowd funding platform so fans can contribute towards the making of more music videos.

I had a chance to chat with Ryan Marshall from the band about all the things Walk Off The Earth enjoys about Toronto.

Are you guys into camping?

I’ve done a fair bit of camping in my time.

Do you have a summer jam you’ve been listening to?

If I’m at the cottage I listen to The Tragically Hip, the entire time.

A sad song is usually easier to write than a happy one. What comes easier to you?

The easiest song to write is when you don’t have to worry what its about, the hardest for me is when it HAS to be about something.

Do you consider your music falling within a specific genre or do you want to keep that open?

We don’t make music with a genre in mind, if people want to put it in one I think that’s cool, if not it’s even cooler.

If you had to collaborate with one Toronto band, who would it be and why?

Tegan and Sarah may not be a Toronto band, but they are Canadian and I’ve been a huge fan of everything they’ve done for almost 10 years.

Does the band all live together in one house?

HAH!! NO!

Where was your first Toronto gig?

Our first toronto show was at The Horseshoe Tavern on bookie’s new music night back in 2007

Here’s the video that started it all:

Top 3 artists that have inspired you in your life?

Bob Dylan and both of my Grampas

What do you think of physical vs digital album sales? Do you have a preference? Any thoughts for the future?

I think its great that Vinyl is popular again, its a great way to listen to music, at the same time i enjoy having all my songs on my iphone

Random Rapid fire:

Sneaky Dees Nachos, Hey Meatball Spaghetti or a Superfood Salad from Fresh? Sneaky dee’s

Favourite place to eat in Toronto? Ceili Cottage

Favourite thing about the city? Ceili Cottage ?

Favourite hang out in TO? Ceili Cottage!

Queen or College St? Queen

Trinity Bellwoods or Highpark? I wouldn’t know LOL

Early bird or night owl? Both

Road or studio? Both

What’s next for Walk Off The Earth?
Up next will be our second album with Columbia records, as many youtube videos as we can squeeze out of our brains and traveling the world playing for the best fans on the planet…wotelings.

Walk off the Earth will play the 1st Annual Muskoka Sound Music Festival tomorrow night – Friday, September 12 at 9:30pm. The full festival takes place between Sept 12-14. Other performances include  Skydiggers, Wordburglar, The Trews, Mother Mother, Shad, Serena Ryder, Monster Truck, Buck 65, Yukon Blonde, Grand Analog, Paper Lions, Hawksley, Workman, The Strumbellas, The Beaches, Dear Rouge, Sam Cash & The Romantic Dogs, and HIGHS.

Tickets: Limited Three-Day Festival Pass only $99 // Friday-only Pass $50 / Saturday-only Pass $60 / Sunday-only Pass $40

The post Walk Off The Earth appeared first on Toronto Guardian.