The San Francisco Bay Area artist Dwayne Jarrell’s music is instantly comforting. Threads of Americana, folk, country and alt-country’s storytelling traditions, along with some deep blues, are woven deep into his musical fabric.  His songs recall artists such as Wilco, Uncle Tupelo, and Son Volt—he named his studio band “Truer Sound” after a lyric in Son Volt’s “Windfall.”

His new single, the southern rock and americana “Indiana,” is more than just a break up song, but a story of a man at a physical and metaphorical crossroads, forced to reckon with the mistakes he’s found himself repeating. As the song progresses, the character realizes that change and redemption only comes with action and continued passivity keeps him in the same rut.

We asked Dwayne Jarrell about his video that depicts iconography of his poetic ideas:

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

The song is about a man who’s found himself at a proverbial crossroads in his life. The relationship that drove him to move to a foreign and unfamiliar state has ended, and he’s forced to decide how to move forward. In the midst of this process, he begins to recognize the negative patterns of his actions, and tries to summon the energy to move forward on a new path.

The song is set in Indiana as a play on its state motto: The Crossroads of America. Anyone who’s spent any time in Indiana (good or bad) knows that it’s full of miles and miles of corn and soybean fields, and I felt like the image of driving through endless cornfields was a good representation of the limbo of the narrator’s situation. The video includes a right turn at a T stop, providing a visual decision point in reference to the lyrics.

What was the inspiration behind this video? 

I originally tried to find a video with a foreboding sky like the opening of the song (“The morning sky was like polished steel, a painting done all in flats”), but that turned out to be difficult to capture. I then realized that the tedium of driving through endless cornfields was an even better way to capture the feel of the song, and the pace of this video seemed to match the tempo of the song well.

The bonus from this particular video was the inclusion of a T stop/decision point to stand in for the “crossroads” of the chorus. When syncing the video with the lyrics, I made sure to have the car arrive at the T stop sign every time I sang ‘I’m at a crossroads in my life”. The car then turns to the right before transitioning to the next part of the song. To further indicate the passage of time, I switched the lighting from day to night at a good friend’s suggestion.

One subtle point that the casual viewer likely misses is that the car finally turns left at the end of the song. This was an attempt to tie a glimmer of hope to the final lyric of “Can you show me to the light?”

What was the process of making this video? 

The footage is stock video, so the whole process started with stock video searches across multiple sites, using a variety of terms. As noted above, I started by searching for the perfect sky before landing on the idea of driving through cornfields. Once I had the final idea, it took a while to find the right sequence with a balance of monotony and variety, and then I discovered the intersection that could be aligned with the lyrics.

From there, it was splicing various lengths of the video using iMovie to align the words and visuals. Then I added the lyrics via title cards, a process my neurodivergent brain actually enjoys getting just right.

Connect with Dwayne Jarrell and the Truer Sound via:

Website / Instagram / Facebook / YouTube / Spotify / Soundcloud

As longtime members of Blue Sky Miners, the musical duo of Eric “The Duke” Duquette and Jena “Goldie” Gogo had released two albums, toured North America, and enjoyed national radio play. Still there seemed to be uncharted musical waters on the horizon. 

The rag tag pirate-like community of (aptly named) Protection Island turned out to be the perfect coastal environment for the pair’s musical evolution to take place. Fire lit jams, a newfound connection to nature and deep reflection on their roles as settlers in this land gave spark to a collection of new songs that the now Vancouver-based twosome are proud to present as Duke & Goldie on May 12th, 2023.

Following on the heels of their debut single, “Courage,” Duke & Goldie are now unveiling “Rocky Mountain Feeling.” While mostly a straight-ahead rocker kind of song, the descending chord changes at the end of each chorus alter the song’s key in a chromatic descent. It adds a bit of complexity to the overall tone and hints at the deeper, more nuanced nature of the lyrics.

Powered by three classically trained vocalists and a former punk rock drummer, The Pairs offer a unique blend of music that will hug your eardrums and inspire you to dance. Following their inception in 2016, The Pairs were warmly welcomed by their home community in London, ON. The group was named Folk Music Ontario’s Songwriter of the Year in 2020 and took home the 2021 Forest City London Music Award in the Folk/Roots category.

New single, “Easier to Leave,” was inspired by all the challenges that are inevitably faced within long term relationships. Written in response to the many fears and anxieties that trickle into day-to-day interactions causing inevitable arguments that seem to have no rational foundation, it’s a song about those moments when all of our kind, compassionate communication skills fly out the window and we adopt a more self protective, argumentative stance.

Vancouver-based Glass Forest is an indie-pop group composed of Nick Owen (vocals/keys), Stephen Clarke (bass/beats) and Abby Wale (vocals). They have gained a reputation for euphoric live shows that blend electronic dance elements with atmospheric soundscapes. 

“Can’t Just Walk Away” was written about the emotional hardships following the fallout of a previous relationship; specifically, between band members Nick and Abby. It was a uniquely honest process writing and recording the single as they directly confronted the traumas. Oddly healing, it gave space to address and work through past issues, broaching subjects rarely discussed by ex romantic partners.

Glass Forest’s debut EP is anticipated in May 2023.

Inspired by legends like Paul Westerberg, Wilco and Constantines, as well as relative newcomers like Phoebe Bridgers and Ruston Kelly, the Hamilton, Ontario band Mister Rabbit has formed a sonic palette that is both familiar and refreshing. Their raw and honest songs are delivered by musicians who know what it feels like to be a version of themselves and want nothing to do with it anymore.

Their debut album, End of History Illusion, features the focus track “Subtle Tribute” which is a song about wanting to be wanted, and how important that simple fact can be to people’s self-worth. Frontman Jeff van Helvoort spent a lot of time throughout his teens and twenties trying to deal with unrequited love and he wrote this song while he was in search of that.

The title comes from one of the song lyrics which references “Hold My Life” by The Replacements, hence the “Subtle Tribute” to those much-admired songwriters. 

Take a sneak peek at the 10 track LP End of History Illusion with focus track “Subtle Tribute.” 

These songs were inspired by the band’s desire to create, and try to compassionately tell others’ stories, while keeping a connection to themselves. They worked with legendary Toronto producer Jeff McMurrich (Constantines, Alvvays, Jennifer Castle), recording engineer Matt Snell (Dua Lipa, Banners), and mixer Peter Van Helvoort (bassist of The Glorious Sons and Jeff’s brother.)