As obsessed with pop culture as he is detached from it, Toronto singer-songwriter and filmmaker David Jane brings a versed insight to the contemporary perspective, writing songs that are grounded in disconnection, uncertainty and desire. His voice is as honest as the thoughts and emotions he writes about. 

Following the 2020 release of David’s debut EP, Welcome to Today, he discovered new found inspiration in his lingering passion for film and enrolled at the Vancouver Film School. There, he found an amalgamation of community, creativity and adventure, fell in love for the first time and met many kindred spirits. Upon his return, David wrote, directed and produced his first short film, Apnea, which will officially premiere at Toronto’s acclaimed Blood in the Snow horror festival next month (November 2024).

Personally, however, the return home came with many new challenges. In Vancouver’s uncanny aftermath, David returned to a home that no longer felt like home, as if his life in Vancouver was left stranded outside of time. In reconnecting to the world and to himself as a person, however, David reconnected with himself as an artist as well, and, to process this transformative experience – the love, adventure and loss – he turned back to songwriting.

Brand new single, “Garden Out Back,” paves the way for a new set of songs that showcase a moment lost in time, reminiscing in hues of melancholic beauty. Inspired by David’s year in Vancouver and the slow fade ending of a relationship that began there, it begins by chronicling the helpless sense of futility in a long distance relationship before exploding into a desperate yearning to return to that lost time.

“Garden Out Back” marked my second collaboration with producer and multi-instrumentalist Sam Arion, perhaps best known for his solo project Mute Choir, and what’s been so great about Sam is that he’s able to create these deeply contemplative, ambient sonic atmospheres within the typical acoustic, somewhat traditional/folk-inspired structures I gravitate towards. The end-product then becomes this mix of traditional acoustic, lyric-focused songwriting that still centralizes the vocalist and the words while seamlessly pairing that with a very modern, contemplative, atmospheric soundscape. – David Jane

Shane Pendergast has folk music in his blood. Growing up in Prince Edward Island as a lifelong musical artist, he hails from a lineage of storytellers and musicians. Drawing inspiration from the landscapes and lore of his Maritime home, and university years in Toronto performing at pubs. Shane’s songs began to take shape, resonating with themes of community, history, and the sea.

In 2020, Shane returned to PEI, where he founded the Jack Pine Folk Club – a monthly gathering inspired by the coffeehouses of the 1960s, featuring a mix of traditional music and poetry. His 2021 album, Second Wind, won Contemporary Roots Album of the Year at the Music PEI Awards while his 2023 live album, The House Before the Bridge, was nominated for Roots/Traditional Recording of the Year at the East Coast Music Awards.

Shane’s home is nestled next to a river. Whenever he looks out his window, he sees an ever-changing landscape which lent inspiration to the songcraft on “Only Drifting By,” his latest single about significant people in one’s life becoming strangers, and the complex feelings surrounding that. “I was contemplating the people I have drifted away from over the years,” Shane explains. “It was one of the rare songs for me that was written in one sitting.”

Hailing from Maple, ON, emerging indie pop artist Julian Daniel now divides his time between Toronto and Los Angeles, working full-time on his music. His blend of meaningful lyrics with upbeat instrumentals offers a fresh fusion of indie pop and rock and draws inspiration from artists like Charli XCX, Troye Sivan, and Gus Dapperton. 

Since debuting in 2019, Julian has released over 20 songs, including the viral track “Lemontree,” which earned attention from The Chainsmokers. His music often explores coming-of-age themes, love, and dirty secrets, and his songwriting process focuses on creating vivid, cinematic visuals through sound.

New single, “do you feel me?,” is a breathless confession, wrapped in rhythm, meant to touch your soul or heart. Every note feels like fingertips tracing your skin – soft, slow, electric. Inspired in part through hearing about friends and family’s past relationships, Julian wanted to write a song that would feel timeless in which people would listen and instantly recall memories of their former loves. 

It was supposed to be a solo song but, during the writing process, we realized it needed both perspectives in the relationship. I asked my friend Sofia Mills to write the second verse which perfectly encapsulates the emotions and headspace “do you feel me?” needed. She wrote her verse in 15 minutes, recorded it in Glendale, and we absolutely fell in love with it.
– Julian Daniel

Leahy is a powerhouse Celtic music group and one of Canada’s most renowned musical families. To date, they have sold more than half a million albums worldwide, achieved Double Platinum status in their home country and won three JUNOs. Leahy’s story began with a family of 11 siblings whose musical abilities gained them attention from around the world. Their life became the subject of an Academy Award-winning documentary that foretold the success that would follow (The Leahys: Music Most of All). Playing everything from fiddle, piano, guitar, drums, bass, and accordion to singing, step dancing, and composing, the Leahy family were steeped in a world of music. 

Leahy’s newest recording, LEAHY Live In Concert, is the 9th addition to the platinum-selling band’s celebrated discography. The tracks on this record were captured during a live performance in Kingston, Ontario which was being filmed as part of a video series, LEAHY: From the Inside, where the group shares an inside look at the creative process that brings their music to life. 

Featured live recording, “Roots,” is a powerful track that puts the spotlight on the group’s propensity to blend their roots and traditional Celtic music with modern instruments and sounds.  In this case, the edgy vibe is immediately charged by Xavier’s electric guitar and the tight combination of drums and bass (think Thin Lizzy), setting the stage for stellar twin-fiddle performances by Erin and up and coming talent Savannah Leahy (Xavier’s sister). 

The recording experience was very natural with a heightened level of energy. But the music was in its natural state…being played and shared live. More of a raw and spontaneous vibe that is hard to capture inside a studio. – Maria Leahy (Acoustic Guitar/Banjo/Mandolin)

Shaped by two decades of work as a climbing arborist, London, ON’s Fraser Teeple approaches music like a tradesman: he respects the strong tradition he stands within, and works carefully and with dedication to master the skill of telling a story, creating an image, or crafting a melody.

His upcoming album, We Built a Fire, sees Fraser collaborate with producer Matthew Johnston at Slow Magic to create a record that is at once ethereal and rooted, dirty and clean. Something that feels built in the tradition of songwriters like Bonnie Raitt and Bruce Springsteen, but sounds completely like itself: northern, soulful, gritty, rural, well-traveled, honest, desperate, hurt, generous, hopeful, warm.

Listen to “Went Off” HERE.I wrote this song after watching people in my neighbourhood – the decaying east end of a middle class city – end up carrying the judgment of the people around them, through some brutal match of choice and bad luck. – Fraser Teeple

Following the release of collaborative LP, Always By Your Side, in March 2024, the survivor-led Bracebridge, Ontario-based project, Chorus of Courage, is sharing new music featuring Cait Alexander.

Alexander penned “Two People” following a horrific experience where her ex-boyfriend nearly murdered her. 

This song was written immediately after the shattering of my life. Following a violent act of abuse, writing music was the only thing that made sense to me. [“Two People”] captures the entire spectrum of emotion that is often part of the abuse cycle. There’s an intimacy at the start and ending of the track, and the journey within is unpredictable and layered with intention and intensity. – Cait Alexander

The stripped back piano and voice of this song relays lyrics that capture an intimacy, juxtaposed with raucous and distorted guitar which represent the extremity and chaos of an abusive pattern.