Owen Marchildon is a songwriter and guitarist who has been part of the Toronto music scene since 2002. 2024 has seen Owen pulling back the veil of all of his previous monikers and releasing new music under his own name, starting with the sweet pop ode to his wife, “Heavy Dreams.” 

His latest release, “Celebrity Singles,” is a jangly rock ‘n’ roll tune about the loneliness and isolation of fame and the endless amount of energy that goes into maintaining the dream. After all, “in Hollywood nothing ever lasts forever, except plastic surgery and sunny weather.” Longtime bandmates and collaborators, Jordan Bruce and Brent Hough, spread out the sound, complimenting the style, imagination, and fabric of Owen’s songwriting.

Have you ever thought about being famous? The big paychecks, the luxury lifestyle, the endless amount of admiration? To be recognized everywhere you go. For most of us, it would be like walking around in a dream. But what if you actually did become a celebrity overnight? Would you be prepared to be praised and diabolically defaced all in the same month? Would you be able to hang onto who you actually are and not become the fabrications people are writing about? – Owen Marchildon

The nine-piece soul/roots superband Secondhand Dreamcar is crafting a distinct, funky, and lyrically driven sound that journalist and programmer Peter North has deemed the most exciting thing to come out of Edmonton since KD Lang and The Reclines. “Eight of Spades” is the group’s first ever release, and it’s a song about finding satisfaction in whatever life has to offer at any given moment, and about watching someone struggle in that dance with life and loving them for it. The song’s title refers to the tarot card the Eight of Pentacles, which encompasses the joy that can be taken in mundane work and activities, in everyday life.

“Lyrically, our songs deal with the nitty-gritty of the work of life, from a spiritual perspective. Because I believe that if there is a reason we are all here living a life, it is because there is something we are supposed to learn,” says lyricist Dana Wylie. “Musically, we work to engender joy in collaboration, collectivity, collegiality. We love writing and playing music together, and our songs are an embodiment of that.”

Secondhand Dreamcar is fronted by Canadian Folk Music Award-nominee Dana Wylie and also features notable producer Harry Gregg on bass, Jamie Cooper (Up and Over Trio, Obsessions Octet) on drums, Kyle Mosiuk (The Hello Darlins) and Chad Murphy (Dallas Smith) on guitar, Rooster Davis on organ, and a horn section led by Dave Babcock. 

John Orpheus’ musical journey has taken him from the Caribbean bush to festivals across Canada and the US to opening for Liam Gallagher on a UK tour. Orpheus is known for his rabble-rousing live shows filled with audience participation, chanting, and impromptu dance-offs that feel more like Caribana road parties than concerts.

Lush with hip-hop swagger and “whole school” vibes, his brand new Get Right! EP is a catchy, fun send up of the era when funk, punk and pop could all be found on the same dancefloor. Influenced by early Prince, Rick James, and ‘90s hip-hop’s affection for Parliament Funkadelic, Get Right! is a funky throwback that feels like 2024. “I think we all could use a dance party right about now. GET UP! GET DOWN! GET RIGHT!”

Focus track, “U Funkin Right,” is a slinky and melodic number anchored by bass synth. “There’s an energy that drapes the track like a sensual fabric and that feels like sex and truth,” explains Orpheus. It’s a track about falling in love with your boldest, baddest self.

“U Funkin Right” is about falling in love. You out and about and you catch a vision of your lover. They’re dressed fly, moving hot, grooving, doing it. Then you realize that you’re looking in a mirror and you’ve just met your soulmate: your boldest, baddest self. So, go on, kiss yourself. You deserve it! – John Orpheus

Like the tides of the Bay of Fundy on which she was raised, or the steadfast city line that broods along its port, Kylie Fox has been devoted to honing her craft as a songwriter for as long as she can remember. 

Growing up with a mother who would sing to her, and a father who sat at the helm of every kitchen party with his Yamaha and uninhibited voice, it became clear to Fox from a young age that music was how to show love, how to express identity, and how to connect with the people around her.

Grand, ethereal and epic, “‘Brandi Baby’ is my coming-of-age song,” says Kylie Fox about her new release. “It touches on my awkward high school years where I had the confidence to go to a school dance by myself, my early touring years where my ambition and my schedule prevented me from dating much, to when I found real big love in my now fiancé and drummer Ryan, where I feel so free and safe.”

She continues, “I used to straighten my hair to Brandi Carlile everyday in high school, and she became a big influence for me becoming a musician. ‘The Story’ was the first song my partner and I danced to and we are going to use it as our first dance at our wedding next year.”

In 2020, she released her first full-length album, Green, and is now preparing to release her second studio album, Sequoia, that was made with the support of ArtsNB, Music New Brunswick and Canada Council for the Arts. Sequoia has come to life as an 11-track album, developed with her band and six-time ECMA-winning producer Daniel Ledwell (Jenn Grant, Fortunate Ones, The Good Lovelies). Sequoia is deeply rooted in folk-Canadiana elements that have characterized Fox’s career, while also exploring folk-rock and jazz-pop fusion. The LP could be described as 70s Sesame Street meets Sharon Van Etten. 

Brayden Bell is an indie-folk producer/songwriter with ballroom gravitas and campfire-folk relatability. His considerate songwriting pulls truth in detail from the luminosity of everyday emotional directives, like dandelions growing through the sidewalk. The Calgarian’s soaring falsetto brings a sensitivity to a contemporary midwest-emo phrasebook, a Hozier filmstock captured through a Julien Baker lens.

Bell has written and produced dozens of songs for synchronization with his publishing project We Are Crickets in partnership with Bow Valley singer-songwriter Amelie Patterson. Bell’s songs have been used by companies like McDonald’s, Lazada, Thor Industries, Sherwood and more, being seen by millions on TV and YouTube. Now, he’s releasing his first EP under his own name.
Box Office Bomb is the result of the first time Bell carved out time for his solo music. His home studio became the crucible for these songs. Here, he stripped away production flourishes, prioritizing raw emotion and lyrical authenticity. With a solid system established, the future excites him for what’s to come next.

Nok Novum is an instrumental band that has developed a textured sound that cleverly fuses 70’s progressive rock, jazz-fusion, and heavy metal, creating a sound that is chaotic yet mesmerizing. All of the production choices were purely instinctual on Nok Novum’s new song, “Funky Shins.” The great thing about this band is that there are no rules. Each member has so many musical influences that they have a bottomless pit of inspiration to throw at the canvas, which is how this became the first Nok Novum song to use acoustic piano. 

“The song title comes from a Siri autocorrect during a group chat where we were describing a particular section as ‘Funky Shit’ but was corrected to ‘Funky Shins.’ Felt appropriate,” says guitarist Scott Giffin.

Formed in early 2008, Nok Novum is an instrumental band from Canada. The band was originally conceived as a two-piece, with guitarist Grant Cooper and drummer Brady Mason with the addition of Scott Giffin on guitar and Cam Dougall on bass in 2013. Since 2016 the band has taken a step back to focus on their individual careers, raise families, as well as taking time to patiently record their highly anticipated sophomore release – Nok Novum II. This new album has recently been completed and is set to be released within 2024.