The Neighbourhood Watch’s story-driven blend of folk and indie rock pulls on a personal experience with chronic illness and expresses that story in a way that resonates with people who are struggling with all kinds of illnesses – mental or physical. The Toronto band’s upcoming fourth album is a meditation on family, illness, and loving what life gives you nonetheless.

New single, “Bones,” was inspired by the fun, garage-rock inspired indie rock anthems that have become popular across Spotify in the last few years: the Backseat Lovers, Briston Maroney, and some earlier Cage the Elephant tracks served as major musical inspirations. “Bones” is a song about relapse and how your body can feel it coming on. The intuition that your body is about to give out again, after a prolonged period of health and stability.

Touching on this idea of bodily intuition, “Bones” taps into that feeling and lets it be a guide. 

The Vaniers [van-ee-ays] are a Toronto-based rock trio formed in 2016 by Diego Paz (Bass Guitar/Vocals), Alex Iacobellis (Guitar), and Nick Donato (Drums). Known for delivering scorching live performances and dazzling crowds, The Vaniers have become a staple in the Toronto music scene, celebrated for their high-octane shows and catchy tunes.

The three band members each like a wide variety of music: in-your-face rock tunes, catchy songs, and songs that tell stories. Their new single, “Charlie,” is kind of a mix of that. This is music that they want to hear. It’s not out there, so they decided to make it themselves. 

It’s universal. Everyone knows a Charlie, some have lived as a Charlie – and surely a lot of people want to be a Charlie. In this case, the focus of the song is about a man named Charlie who wants to chase after his dreams despite everyone around him being pessimistic about his star power. This is The Vaniers’ way of saying, “At the end of the day, you just gotta do it.”

“Believe it or not, ‘Charlie,’ and most of the songs on this record, were stolen from us,” says Paz. “Our hard drives, all of our work up to that point, disappeared overnight. To keep it short, we had to start the entire process again. Of course, we were gutted when it happened, but looking back on it, the songs went through more deliberation as a result. The second time around, we really doubled down on some of the risks we took, and through that we feel we made some of our most sincere music that is truest to ourselves as artists, and as people.”

Ontario JUNO Award-winning rock trio The Dirty Nil are sharing “Am I The Menace?,” a new cut taken from Free Rein to Passions Deluxe, set for digital release on April 4th, 2024 via Dine Alone Records. 

When we cut this one and our producer, John Goodmanson, heard my lyrics, he laughed and called me a brat. A semi-sincere self examination, compiled from observing others. 

– frontman Luke Bentham

On Free Rein to Passions (2023), The Dirty Nil followed their instincts down to the note to produce their most authentic work to date. They jammed away in their practice space for weeks, not overthinking anything or taking any external input. They didn’t sweat the small details or fret over transitions and arrangements. Less second guessing, more reckless abandon. It’s the same approach to rock they’ve taken since they were kids.

Sonic Unyon just announced Billy Talent, Tokyo Police Club, PUP as the headliners for this summer’s 3-day Because Beer Craft Beer Festival in Hamilton, ON. They’ll be supported by Cancer Bats, Dizzy, NOBRO, Chastity, Cuff the Duke, Daniel Romano’s Outfit, Born in The Eighties, Status/Non-Status. 

Nestled in the scenic west harbour waterfront of Pier 4 Park, just a short stroll from the West Harbour GO Station, Because Beer will take place on July 12, 13, 14, offering a unique opportunity to sample hundreds of craft beers and ciders from dozens of top craft beer and cider makers, chat with brewers, and enjoy hours of fun. Festival-goers can take in a great music stage as well as delicious fare served up by specialty food vendors. 

Tickets info is available here and more details are in the press release here.

Born and raised in South-Central Trinidad, John Orpheus is a multicultural musician, author and performance artist. “Get Right!” is the title track introducing his new EP out on June 21st, which combines his playfulness, fluency and affection for the past. Lush with hip hop swagger and “whole school” vibes, he demonstrates an evolving set of tastes that maintains his vibe of welcoming in the whole diaspora: from dancehall to hip hop to funk to Afrobeats.

Funky, fun, and wavy, Orpheus excitedly shares that the lead single is about: finding your swag, securing the bag, and eating well. It’s a party vibe with an old school funk energy reminding you to get up, get down and get right. The goal is to dance and shake off whatever is holding you back from your best and baddest self. Sauce is what you put on food to give it flavour. This tune is the sauce.

“Get Right!” is accompanied by a music video directed by Agata Waclawska and Alex Exists, with Agata revealing that “the secret to John‘s coolness lies in his ability to not take himself too seriously yet simultaneously deliver a meaningful good time.”

Since releasing his album SAGA KING in 2021, he has been busy promoting his memoir SAGA BOY (Penquin Random House), writing two children’s books and a forthcoming debut novel titled BLACK CHEROKEE (Simon and Schuster). John Orpheus and his writing alter ego Antonio Michael Downing are co-creative forces on an artistic roll in 2024.

1. Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically? 

Our sessions were spontaneous: myself, producer Mike Schlosser and drummer Adam Bowman went to the studio without any prep but with the intention to be as FUNKY as possible. On the first day of the first session when I walked into the studio, Adam was testing the drums and Mike was testing the mics by recording him just playing around. I heard what he was playing and immediately started writing lyrics because it felt so wavy. That is how GET RIGHT! was born. It was a no-brainer as the first single because it captures the world we wanted to create: The Whole School. A vibe that exists in all eras at the same time. 

2.What was the inspiration behind this video (visuals, storyline, etc.)? 

Moon Reel Media are known for their bold and fashion forward visuals and that is exactly why I worked with them on GET RIGHT! I wanted it to feel energized, engaging, with a lot of personality in the clothes, sets and dancing. This vision we evolved catches the danceable, fun, tongue-in-cheek vibe of the song. 

3.What was the process of making this video?

The recipe was: 1. Invite 20 badass musicians and artists and performers in their own right. 2. Dress them to the 9s 3. Turn them up to 10 4. Have fun for 8 hours on a Sunday and capture it all.