Toronto songwriter Brodie Christ shares “16 & 9 Lives,” an uplifting and defiant alternative Canadiana single that questions the stories we inherit, repeat, and use to define ourselves. Built around warm acoustic instrumentation, conversational lyricism, and a reflective country-tinged sound, the track explores memory, identity, and the freedom that comes from realizing we are not bound to the versions of ourselves we once believed were permanent.

At its core, “16 & 9 Lives” examines the unreliable narratives we create about our own past. The song reflects on how memories are shaped by the moments when we need them most, and how the stories we tell about who we were can become limiting if we allow them to define who we are now.

“Your memories betray you,” Brodie explains. “You were not as kind, as cool, as embarrassing, as wild, or as ugly as you thought you were.”

The song found its meaning after an unexpected moment of reflection at Brodie’s high school reunion. Returning to a place filled with old stories and familiar faces, he found himself reconsidering how people hold onto the past.

“Stories were recounted to me over that weekend – some flattering, some embarrassing, some prideful,” he shares. “All of them were lies, or at best exaggerations. I decided I wasn’t interested in being defined by any of it, and it was incredibly liberating.”

That realization became the emotional foundation of “16 & 9 Lives.” The title itself represents the many versions of ourselves we carry throughout life. 16 represents a specific moment in time when memories can become deeply tied to identity, while 9 lives symbolizes the countless different versions of ourselves we experience along the way.

“I’ve had at least 9 lives and am hoping for 9 more,” Brodie explains. “The number isn’t important, but the idea that you aren’t tethered to any of them is.”

The recording process for “16 & 9 Lives” was an exercise in spontaneity and trust. Brodie booked a pop-up studio session with seven–time JUNO Award–winning producer Steve Dawson and a group of veteran Nashville musicians at Revolution Recording in Toronto. The concept was simple: send a rough demo, walk into the studio a month later, and capture the song live with the band in only a few takes.

Originally written and performed with only acoustic guitar and harmonica, Brodie was open to expanding the arrangement while preserving the song’s natural energy. Rather than over-directing the musicians, he allowed the band to interpret the track in their own way, focusing instead on maintaining the emotional honesty at its centre.

The session features Steve Dawson on guitar and pedal steel, Steve O’Connor on keyboards, John Dymond on bass, and Gary Craig on drums. “Sometimes you get lucky with a group of people and things just feel good,” Brodie says. “It didn’t hurt that the band was full of experienced fellows without egos.”

Alternative artist Em Armstrong shares “Behind,” an angsty and emotionally charged new single that transforms heartbreak into hard-earned clarity. Raw, unfiltered, and unapologetically honest, the track captures the moment disappointment gives way to empowerment, reminding listeners that moving forward sometimes means leaving the past exactly where it belongs.

Inspired by the unexpected sting of hearing a song allegedly written about her by someone she’d long since moved on from, “Behind” became an outlet for emotions Em thought she’d already left behind. While she had promised herself she was finished writing about that chapter of her life, the experience reopened old wounds and ultimately sparked one final response.

“I swore I’d stop writing songs about this person,” Em explains. “But after hearing it, and knowing all who were affected by the actions and intent of the song, I needed to release my disappointment and get my feelings out. This is a reminder to said person that I’m what you left behind. If you aren’t careful, you’ll get left behind too.”

While producing the track, Em battled severe allergies and expected to re-record her lead vocals once she recovered. Instead, every subsequent take lacked the urgency and vulnerability captured in her original demo, ultimately leading her to keep those first performances.

“I felt like Christina Aguilera recording ‘Beautiful,’” Em laughs. “Nothing we recorded afterward could top the demo.”

The production also hides subtle storytelling details beneath its driving alternative pop-rock foundation. Carefully placed vocal harmonies throughout the second verse reinforce the song’s emotional perspective, rewarding repeat listens while quietly emphasizing the message at the heart of the lyrics.

Like all of Em’s music, “Behind” is rooted in radical honesty. She approaches songwriting as an open invitation into her own experiences, believing that authentic storytelling creates space for listeners to discover pieces of themselves within someone else’s journey. Even when the details differ, the emotions remain universal.

Singer-songwriter Ariana Fig shares “I Hope You Love Me,” a fast-moving, emotionally candid pop-folk single lifted from her upcoming debut album, So Long, Sinnerstate! (out August 14th). Written at the edge of a new relationship, the track captures the fragile, electric moment where excitement and fear collide: when falling in love feels like both a leap forward and a quiet plea for acceptance.

“I wrote the song the day before I went on my first date with my partner,” Fig explains. “It’s all about acknowledging how scary yet exciting new love can be, and hoping that someone new can learn to love you and your flaws.”

That emotional tension distills into the song’s title, which serves as both mantra and confession. For Fig, it reflects the internal dialogue of early love and the repetition of hope, uncertainty, and self-awareness that accompanies opening yourself up to someone new. “I would repeat it to myself during the early days of my relationship,” she says.

Written in collaboration with Emma Whale at Catherine North Studios in Hamilton, ON, the track began as a conversation about fear and the specific hesitation that comes from watching relationships around you fall apart. Instead of leaning into that anxiety, the pair shifted toward optimism, reframing vulnerability as possibility.

“We wrote about the exciting possibility of finding yourself in someone else, and learning to love yourself while being with someone,” Fig shares.

“I Hope You Love Me” leans into a bright, early-2000s-leaning pop energy fused with modern folk songwriting. Built around fast-moving rhythms, warm acoustic textures, and nostalgic melodic sensibilities, the track echoes the feeling of racing thoughts and emotional momentum. Its buoyant arrangement is elevated by layered gang vocals, a signature element that will appear throughout So Long, Sinnerstate!

The forthcoming full-length record is a body of work centered on self-discovery in your twenties; navigating relationships, identity, and the evolving understanding of self through connection with others.

“I Hope You Love Me” captures the nervous brilliance of new love in motion; honest, imperfect, and unguarded.

Los Angeles multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, arranger, producer, and artist Robbie Gennet is bringing his latest musical project to the stage with the free YouTube premiere of Phase Live on Sunday, August 30 at 6 p.m. PST/9 p.m. EST.

The live performance will feature the complete Phase album, along with an additional encore, giving listeners their first opportunity to experience the orchestrated rock record in a full live setting. Released August 1, Phase represents eight years of work and serves as the first installment in Gennet’s ambitious five-album orchestrated rock cycle.

The timing of the performance also sets the stage for the next chapter of the project. The Giver and The Thief, the second album in the series, is scheduled for release September 1, with The Painted Bird, Divides, and Flood the Zone following monthly through December 2026.

The albums are part of Gennet’s larger Red Sphere project, which began with an illustrated lyric book written around the five-album cycle. Illustrated by Skot Olson and published by Innovative Ink Publishing, The Red Sphere is available in hardcover and softcover through Amazon. As each album arrives, the songs bring the book’s lyrics to life across music, visual storytelling, and performance.

The multimedia project will also extend into short-form film. Gennet has two short film music videos in development, including “Summer” and “Insomnia.” The single “Insomnia” arrives in audio this Friday, followed by the premiere of its accompanying short horror film music video on YouTube September 11.

For Gennet, the Red Sphere series is another chapter in an unusually wide-ranging career. A highly versatile multi-instrumentalist, he plays piano, keyboards, bass, guitar, and drums, while also writing string and vocal arrangements, composing, producing, and performing. His work has taken him from studio sessions and live performances to music education, publishing, podcasting, and journalism.

Gennet has performed and recorded with artists including Lisa Marie Presley, Nick Lachey, Fuel, Everclear, Mike McCready of Pearl Jam, Robby Krieger of The Doors, Wayne Kramer of MC5, Stefan Lessard of Dave Matthews Band, Paul Barrere and Kenny Gradney of Little Feat, and Phil Chen, known for his work with Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart.

His live work also includes the ongoing Live at Revolver Studios concert film series, with four professionally shot shows completed and additional performances planned. The series features Gennet performing live in-studio with a rotating group of musicians, including drummers Ryan Brown of Dweezil Zappa, Michael Jerome of Third Eye Blind, and Christopher Allis of Deana Carter, bassist Murv Douglas of Powerman 5000, and cellist Jacob Szekely of Rush. Rather than relying on a fixed lineup, the performances allow different musicians to become part of the evolving live presentation.

Gennet also performs solo, moving between original compositions, 20th-century standards, blues, and boogie woogie piano. His career as a working musician is complemented by his work as an educator and author. He taught for nearly a decade at Musicians Institute and other institutions and authored The Key of One, his own self-teaching approach to music, published by Alfred Publishing. He has also written books for Hal Leonard and presented masterclasses and lectures at schools and events.

Behind the Red Sphere albums is an extensive catalog and an entirely self-directed production process. Gennet writes, arranges, performs, and produces from his Brown Earthling Studio, handling vocals, instrumentation, arrangements, and production from start to finish. His catalog includes more than 800 songs, alongside numerous recordings on which he has performed for other artists. His arranging work includes strings, horns, and vocal harmonies.

The Phase live premiere arrives as another piece of that larger creative practice, bringing together Gennet’s work as a composer, performer, arranger, and producer in one performance.

Robbie Gennet: The Orchestrated Rock Piano Show Phase Live
Sunday, August 30 at 6 p.m. PST / 9 p.m. EST
Free live broadcast on YouTube

Watch the live premiere on YouTube

For more information about Robbie Gennet, his music, upcoming releases, and the Red Sphere project, visit RobbieGennet.com.

Eric Schenkman (guitarist, singer, and co-founder of New York City’s Spin Doctors) releases “Hit On Me,” the second single from his upcoming album Ten Smiles. An upbeat rock tune that transforms heartbreak into possibility, “Hit On Me” is built on a guitar riff and a drumbeat that makes you want to move, leaving you with an unmistakable sense of optimism. 

Co-written with Corky Laing (founding member of the rock band Mountain and author of 1970 smash hit “Mississippi Queen”), “Hit On Me” evolved from a simple idea of hitting a drum into a dynamic love song.

“The song describes a scenario where a girl is getting dumped out of a bad relationship,” Eric explains. “The message is ‘don’t walk away, hit on me instead, I’m right here.’”

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

The guys I work with on video are really good at this animation collage stuff and I thought this song would be perfect for it because much of it is from my point of view talking to subject in the song – the street scene in verse 1, the cloud scene in verse 2. I knew it would translate well into collage. It seemed like a good fit.

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

The process involved just putting my character in the collage scenes where he’s talking to the person he perceives as being in a crappy situation and he’s offering an alternative ‘Just hit on me instead’. It’s cool that sometimes it’s me on tv broadcasting into the animated scene. I really like that too.

3. What was the process of making this video?

I collaborated with Studio 351 to visualize an animated version of the song through the eyes of an animated me. I think it worked out really well.1. Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically? The guys I work with on video are really good at this animation collage stuff and I thought this song would be perfect for it because much of it is from my point of view talking to subject in the song – the street scene in verse 1, the cloud scene in verse 2. I knew it would translate well into collage. It seemed like a good fit.