Reminiscent of 90’s alt-icons like Fiona Apple, Ash Molloy is vulnerable, raw, and unfiltered in her approach to music. A multi-instrumentalist with a degree in neuroscience, she’s full of surprises as she bares it all with her deep-cut takes on sexuality, body-shame, and life as a woman. Not fitting the mold in her small town of St John’s, Newfoundland, Ash is an absolute force of an artist, making a name for herself with her unique vocals, cutting lyrics, and sheer tenacity to get her message and music out into the world.

The majority of the music for her newest release, “Viv,” was already written for a woman by that name. Ash had never met her but loved how her name looked so she kept it. Now she has a song and a tattoo on her body named after a woman she only wound up meeting a month ago. It’s a song about losing yourself in the summer and that feeling you get when you’ve drank a little too much and start looking at people a bit differently.

1. Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically? To me, this song evokes a very specific feeling, making it easy to visualize. I wanted the visuals to match that precise feeling. The song itself is about that moment when you’re a bit drunk and you start to open up to yourself and other people. You begin to experience “sonder,” the intense realization that everyone around you has their individual life and story, containing both the saddest and most joyful stories you’ve ever heard. The music itself reminds me of those carefree summers when you’re 14 and have nothing to do but get in trouble. It’s a time when you’re not worried about anything.

2. What was the inspiration behind this video (visuals, storyline, etc.)? These two distinct feelings led me to make specific choices for the visuals. In the tattoo video (view here: Tattoo Video), I used a 2008 digital camera to create a nostalgic atmosphere, taking the viewer back to a time when not everyone carried a camera in their pocket, and moments remained just moments. In other visuals (view here: Other Visuals), I aimed to evoke a different sense of nostalgia, this time with an 80s look. This approach captures the more fun and carefree aspect of the song, with vibrant colors and a bold statement, much like how you feel when you’re drunk.

3. What was the process of making this video? For the tattoo video, the process was intentionally organic. I got the idea to get the tattoo on a Monday, went thrift shopping to find a suitable camera, and called my friend to join me on Tuesday. The next day, my friend and I found the cheapest tattoo parlor that accepted walk-ins and filmed our journey there.

Graztopia, the singular sonic sensation of New York City’s music realm, introduces his new video for “Nocturnal Lullaby,” out today. With a multifaceted persona mirroring the intricacies of his music, Graztopia is a fusion of cleverness, intellect, and an air of enigma. Picture a lovechild between a ’60s beatnik and a ’90s grunge icon, now rocking the stage at Lollapalooza – that’s Graztopia in a nutshell. The video is perfectly crafted with intricate footage that helps to set the tone of the song itself.

An enduring musician and a virtuoso of various instruments, Graztopia’s compositions are a symphony of sound and storytelling. His style defies conventional genres, weaving rock, folk, and jazz blues into a truly authentic auditory adventure. When he steps onto the stage, each performance embarks on a unique odyssey of impromptu jams, soulful solos, and seamless transitions, all powered by his “Mothership Pedalboard” and his trusty loop pedal.

When it comes to musical settings, Graztopia’s tunes resonate with a diverse array of enthusiasts. His melodies find favor in the realms of cannabis and craft beer, lending a psychedelic ambiance to pro-cannabis gatherings and brewery gigs. His acoustic finesse makes him a perfect match for coffeehouses, evoking that quintessential beatnik vibe reminiscent of Greenwich Village.

His most recent opus, Beatnik Serenade at The Cup Coffeehouse, released in September 2023, stands as a testament to his versatility. Graztopia takes the spotlight, masterfully playing every instrument, while being joined by guest musicians Dom Barranco on percussion and Jess DeBellis on accordion. The album is a sumptuous feast for the senses, seamlessly merging acoustic and synthesized elements into an ambient, genre-blending masterpiece.

We had the chance to check in with Graztopia regarding the new video for “Nocturnal Lullaby,” which you can find below.

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

The song is meant to be interpreted by the listener in their own special way. That way hopefully the song takes on a life of its own with every listener. Insofar as the story of the song goes, it was written on a very rainy winter night after finding out the sad news that a friend had just passed away. I was lying in bed playing a simple chord pattern/riff on one of my guitars and then out of nowhere a song was magically there. Some of the lyrics reflect real time things that were actually happening to me or feeling as the song was being written while processing the loss of a friend. Though some artistic or poetic liberties might have been exercised as well. And most of the visuals going on in the video are meant to visually represent the lyrics to a degree. 

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

There wasn’t really an inspiration for the video per se, but we didn’t just make a video for the sake of making the video either. Not to be to cliche but in the simplest terms the video and the visuals in it were meant to visually represent the lyrics in a way, whether it was in a literal sense or in a poetic sense or both at once. The visuals were going to be the main focal point of the video rather than just lip-synced performances. However, there are those types of performances that happen within the video mainly because that’s a necessary evil in all music videos that have some type of singing or playing of instruments as a part of the concept of a particular video. And for syncing purposes, it makes things in post-production go smoother. By taking the concept of reflecting the lyrics through the visuals, the storyline of the video came together fairly quickly. Being that I’m a huge fan of stop-motion I knew ahead of time I wanted to have that incorporated into the video.  The idea struck me to have myself lying in bed as different blankets change over me in various different ways using stop-motion and blending that with other visuals that are surrounding the bed. The real magic is making a video on a “shoe string budget” that looks a close to a million dollars as it can. That’s something that every single independent artist has to deal with. So, the real credit of bringing the video or story of the video to life goes to my friend and videographer extraordinaire Bruce Faulkner of Bruce Videography Services. Maybe one day we’ll have some serious cash to finance videos with better sets, to be able hire professional actors for the videos, create cooler visuals etc…lolol Because that would be cool to go to Bruce with a massive brontosaurus sized video budget to make videos that spare no expense. The video is kind of arthouse in a way but the end result is definitely something that we’re very proud of. 

What was the process of making this video?

The process for making the video was very straightforward. It begins after I submit my music video treatment to Bruce and then he tells me what’s possible to do and what’s not. Or ways of making what I want to make happen possible in some other way. After that we work out a final draft of the video script, then shooting begins. The video was shot in about 4 hours actually. There were technically only two sets or settings for the video so there wasn’t that much that needed to be filmed because we were going to rely on the other visuals and footage. The first scenes that were shot were all of the performance shots of the video, insofar as the ones of me playing guitar and the others as I’m singing into the microphone which happen during the chorus parts. After that I got to kick back and relax in a bed that was surrounded by green screens while Bruce took a plethora of pictures for all of the different stop-motion shots of the various ways the blankets would cover me and go on and off. That part was by far the easiest of the video shoot for me, but Bruce may beg to differ on that insofar as it being the easiest part of the shoot. Once we were done shooting Bruce worked his magic to put together a first draft of the video which was basically a finished product other than changing some of the visuals and altering others. So major kudos to Bruce on that. We spent a few nights editing, making slight alterations and before we knew it, we had a finished music video.

“Depravity Bites,” the latest single and video from Staytus’ upcoming sophomore full-length Wasteland of Broken Hearts, which goes for an even starker edge than the previous single “Lovesick.” The “Depravity Bites” video sees Grundemann incorporating BDSM imagery for the first time, alternating between a whip and the guitar that has become the centerpiece of her sonic arsenal. Once again, Grundemann shows that she can match her prodigious DAW chops with a burgeoning sense of songcraft.

In an age where the full-length album is supposedly dead and buried, Grundemann is doggedly striving to revive the epic appeal of Nine Inch Nails’ classic double album The Fragile. She also unabashedly wears the influence of groups like KoRn, Orgy, Kittie, Black Dresses and How To Destroy Angels on her sleeve. If there’s one act poised to give nu metal a modern makeover so that the familiar riffs, grooves and attitude hit us as fresh and stylish to us again, it’s Staytus. 

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

“Depravity Bites” comes from a deep, personal space where I’ve explored themes like gender identity and the complex emotions surrounding sexual self-exploration. The song and the visuals, especially the BDSM elements, are deliberate choices to represent control – how society often tries to control how we express our sexuality. I wanted to show that struggle and rejection of societal norms clearly in the video. I chose to visualize this track this way as an unapologetic rebellion against purity culture, making certain there is also the message of self-empowerment.

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

Answer: The music video’s visuals and story stem directly from the emotional and theme of the song itself. Using BDSM imagery, moving between wielding a whip and strumming a guitar, shows the struggle between submission to and the battle against society’s rules and standing against them, especially about our sexuality and who we are. The stark and edgy visuals are meant to portray not just the internal struggle but also the fierce defiance against purity and correctness.

What was the process of making this video?

Creating the “Depravity Bites” video was an incredible journey! Jim Louvau, a renowned rock photographer, helped bring the video to life with his incredible skill behind the camera. From the outset, I knew the video needed to mirror the raw,  emotion of the track. We used BDSM imagery to visually depict themes of control, rebellion, and self-exploration, alternating between different elements like the whip and the guitar. It was super important that the video and the song felt really connected and told the same story, creating something that you can both listen to and see.

If there were a Venn diagram of the modern stalwarts of Canadian rock and roll, there in the middle you’ll find Espanola’s Aaron Goldstein. As the go-to sideman for some of the country’s most recognized songwriters for the last 15 years, Goldstein has played pedal steel and electric guitar for the likes of Arkells, City & Colour, Kathleen Edwards, Lee Harvey Osmond, Daniel Romano and Cowboy Junkies, just to name a few. 

However, despite his many legendary nights and performing to hundreds of thousands of satisfied fans, to quote the man himself, “Nothing beats the feeling of plugging in an SG and fronting your own band.” On Espanola, Again, the group’s second full-length set for release on October 6th, 2023, Goldstein found a sonic soulmate in producer John Agnello (Dinosaur Jr, Alvvays, Waxahatchee). Together, the duo went to work bringing Goldstein’s tight songwriting to life with rough and tumble arrangements that at times recall The James Gang and others the cerebral alt-country of Wilco or the power pop of Sloan. 

Espanola, Again and, indeed, the whole project is a manifestation of Goldstein’s own mantra about music: simple, direct, heartfelt and as fun to make as it is to listen to. Real honest rock ‘n roll from a guy who lives and breathes it every day.

JUNO and Polaris Prize-nominated singer-songwriter Terra Lightfoot is revealing the third single from her upcoming record, Healing Power (out October 13th), a sassy and sexy piece of dark, vintage groove pop by the name of “Kept You in My Pocket.”

Terra describes the song as a “dream in a dark dance club.” 

“It’s knowing that you have fond memories of someone, enough to carry you through a time where you can’t be with them, and choosing to remain in that half-reality/daydream state when you can’t be together.”

Working with trusted producer Gus van Go allowed Terra to experiment with a wild and outlandish chorus vocal, speaking further through the song’s in-your-face guitar solo.

“You’re a rose of many colours and you’re keeping me in bloom.”

Ryan Wayne is a Canadian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He first came to recognition as a founding member and songwriter in the critically acclaimed, award-winning band, The Warped 45s (Pheromone Recordings).

His new album Crow Amongst the Sparrows marks a return to recording after a very difficult time in his life. Last Spring, Wayne suffered two strokes and during recovery, he was left seriously contemplating my priorities. Outside of family and health, music was at the top of his list. He had taken time away from touring and recording with his previous band to raise two young children and to complete a masters degree. 

Then, the pandemic hit. Suddenly several years had passed since Wayne had released music or performed live and it became astoundingly clear to him that he needed to get back into the business, both for creative and mental health reasons. During recovery, from the comfort of his bed and home studio, Wayne recorded and produced a series of songs, and collaborated with Grammy-winning producer, Malcolm Burn (Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Patti Smith), for help with some final production and mixing.

The seeds of the song “Maybe I’m To Blame” were recorded many years ago during an impromptu, late night, writing session with one of Wayne’s old friends, Dave Celia. It sat dormant and lyricless for many years and was revived during Wayne’s stroke recovery. Kelley McCrae, who is featured on many tracks on the record, added a beautiful harmony later in the process to help complete the song. 

“During my initial recovery, I was only able to work in small blocks of time, but it’s amazing how those small blocks add up,” explains Ryan Wayne. “You can accomplish a lot in 15 or 20 minutes if you set the intention. I also learned, simply, that music heals.”