Onstage, Clare Siobhan is a natural-born performer, and connects with her audience easily. She is eager to make every stage feel like a late-night, living-room, private concert. 

The CBC recognized, award-winning singer-songwriter from Truro, Nova Scotia is now making a home for herself both in Montreal, Quebec, and in that cozy little intersection of folk, pop, and soul. Her layered harmonies paired with bright piano and ukulele lay the foundation for warm vocals that touch on connection, relationships, worry, and that age-old search for meaning and belonging that we feel as we grow.

Clare was inspired to join her poet friend who was participating in a prompt-based creative exercise to craft a song with the word of “misfit,” which became her new single “3/2 (Loves Me)”. “I was thinking about it and didn’t really want to write a misfit-themed song in the original sense of the word, so I decided to start writing something I knew: I was falling in love at the time, and it was exciting and scary and all I could think about,” she explains.

“3/2” is the constant thrumming question of new love: what if I don’t measure up to who they think I am? what if they get to know me and don’t like me anymore? And what if it doesn’t work out? 3/2 holds all these questions within it, and answers them with another question: what if it does?

After headlining Drake’s OVO homecoming kick-off July ‘22, Canadian icon Shawn Desman marked an unprecedented return to the limelight for one of Canada’s biggest success stories. A top charting, multi-platinum selling, award-winning artist created some of the most recognized songs of the past 2 decades. With fans across the country, undeniable talent, & music that just sticks, Shawn Desman made his mark on an entire generation of Canadians w/ his signature sound & style.

In partnership with revolutionary global brand KNIX, Canadian icon Shawn Desman will inspire millions to embrace their body just the way it is – with the lights on!  Upon release of the single, this global campaign launches with the help of influencers such as The Birds Papaya (2.3M), Alicia McCarvell (1M) and Cat & Nat (1M) pushing directly to the song and speaking to the personal meaning behind their involvement in the music video and campaign. 
Behind this perfectly sticky pop-anthem from Canada’s homegrown hero, comes a powerful personal message that was inspired by a life-altering emergency surgery that his wife Chantel went through earlier this year. A love letter to his wife, “Love Me With The Lights On” was his reminder to her that she is beautiful and sexy, just the way she is. This message is a universal reminder that sometimes what we see as a flaw, is exactly what makes us special.

“When I sat down to write ‘Love Me With The Lights On,’ I wanted to write something empowering; that reminds people that they’re perfect as they are. No matter what you look

like, whatever colour your skin is—you are perfect!” I want to send this empowering message to

everyone, but at the heart of it, this song is a dedication to my wife. I want her to know that I

want to see all of what she considers her imperfections, because to me, they are what

makes her beautiful!  In 2017, my wife Chantelle was diagnosed with severe ulcerative colitis–a disease that in most cases, cripples a person’s quality of life. After five years of battling this disease, she underwent emergency ileostomy surgery. I remember feeling so heartbroken when she expressed feelings of insecurity about the physical changes she was about to go through.

This person who I love so much; who’s been through so much—was worried about how I’d

feel about her, and not celebrating how this would improve her quality of life. I looked at her

and said “Babe, you have nothing to be scared about. What I want is for you to be better. You

will always be the sexiest person in the room to me.” So this song is dedicated to everyone and

everyone else who may have at one time felt the way Chantelle felt.”

Eleanor is a singer-songwriter with an R&B leaning sound, coloured in hues of soul and indie. Resonating in a more alternative and folk frequency, “Former Friend” is the latest preview from forthcoming debut EP, A Late Bloom. 

Preluding her wistful new single, “Former Friend,” she explains that “Emotional intimacy requires surrender and interpersonal faith. When a relationship is unsuccessful, it can cause folks to break faith with themselves.”

Eleanor takes a narrative approach to songwriting, leaning on experiences of grief and overcoming to shape stories that are robust and deeply felt. She has recently contributed backup vocals to the published music of Chad Price, Texas King, and Emanuel whose album Alt Therapy was nominated for two JUNO Awards. 

While firmly rooted in the present, Vancouver, BC group Odds certainly know a thing about the past. Founded in 1987 with their first album release in 1991 the group has spanned over 30 years of not only music but culture. The group also made the soundtrack for cult classic sketch series Kids In The Hall as well as Brent Butt’s Corner Gas series.

Now, Odds are thrilled to finally unveil their long-awaited seventh studio album, Crash the Time Machine – listen now. As the title implies, this new release firmly embraces the future and the possibilities of catharsis. “We seem to, for some reason, resolve even our most dire songs with a weird sense of optimism, at least that’s what we hope happens.” says singer and guitarist Northey.

Experiencing the loss of cherished, long-time friends such as Spirit of the West’s John Mann, the defiantly joyful highlighted track “Staring at a Blank Page” brings to bear that one could deal with immovable obstacles by altering one’s own perspective. What can’t physically change can be metaphysically changed. 

Crash the Time Machine is a vibrant painting of struggle and the community that both feeds it and transcends it. The band goes in new and exciting musical directions while retaining the dark ironic signature that has earned them a place in the hearts of listeners for over three decades. 

The band enlisted co-producer Steven Page. A good friend of the band since early 1990s, Page and Northey have remained frequent musical collaborators; Craig is a member of the Steven Page Trio, while Page is no stranger to sitting in with the Odds and employing them in his recordings. After collating their various musical explorations into a unified whole, Page and the Odds handed the whole thing to trusted mix engineer Paul Forgues, and the end result is a cohesive blend that redefines Odds music for 2023.

Page isn’t the Odds’ only musical friend helping out on Crash the Time Machine. The striking cover illustration comes courtesy of Rob Baker, a frequent musical collaborator and founding member of The Tragically Hip. 

The urgent need for community, in what could best be described as “interesting times,” is a running theme on Crash the Time Machine. Odds embrace the awesome power of Now, while celebrating the friends we make along the way. 

Keira Gray is a new pop artist from Faust, Alberta. She draws from her life experiences in love and heartbreak to create music that speaks to young hearts. 

“Summer Lovin’ With You” is about a whirlwind summer romance Keira had. Although her connection was very strong, it fell apart when they let the little things get in the way of their relationship. Though it was brief, the relationship was still worth having. 

In All Good Hope, the forthcoming debut album from singer, songwriter, and musician José Lobo, is a masterclass in intimacy. From the highly personal lyrical themes and sparse, delicate instrumentation, to the singing, which sounds like a friend whispering a secret into your ear, the experience of listening to In All Good Hope is akin to entering an inner sanctum, or what Lobo aptly refers to as “a reverie of the quotidian.” Originally hailing from Venezuela, Lobo has spent the better part of the last decade in a somewhat nomadic mode, splitting his time between his current homebase of Montreal, San Francisco’s Mission District, Paris, and also Hamilton, Ontario, where much of the album was recorded.

The title is a phrase he said a lot as a reply when someone asked him how he was doing, which literally translates to “All good, all good, nothing bad” from “todo bien todo bien nada mal.” It’s one of those phrases where depending where the comma is placed or the way that it is said, it can mean “Just pushing through” or “I’m thriving.” The lyrics really speak to those two corners of Lobo’s emotional landscape.

“I wanted to say that sometimes I feel like a third party of my own story,” says Lobo. “Sometimes I am the friend, sometimes I am bound to it like a tenant, and only sometimes do I feel like I know what it is that I came to the world to do.”