Since earning his Bachelor’s degree in jazz performance from the University of Montreal in 2017, Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer Marcus Lowry has worked with a wide array of Canadian and international jazz, folk and pop artists. His debut solo album, Time, Time, Time, produced by Juno-nominated musician Joe Grass, is set to be released this coming fall.
Like the morning haze that recedes to reveal a calm and clear day, Lowry’s intimate folk musings on “Leaving the Shore” drift and buoy through waves of delicate chamber music, subtle electronics and nautical field recordings. “Leaving the Shore” offers calm and serenity to the inevitability of change and the challenges that often come with it.
To really enhance this feeling of a sea voyage, the song incorporated actual nautical field recordings from the personal collection of his producer, the great Joe Grass. In the song’s climax you can hear seaport bells and the sounds of rolling tides, which were recorded by Grass near his hometown in New Brunswick.
“I struggle with anxiety and Hurry Sickness, so the feeling of time always slipping away is a recurring fear of mine,” says Lowry. “The whole album, really, speaks to this feeling. Each song depicts a type of journey that grapples with similar anxieties and choices, and each one has become a personal reminder that my own fear of change can threaten my ability to explore all of life’s richness and beauty.”
Watch the live-off-the-floor acoustic performance video here:
Tired Kid, the moniker of Toronto musician Thomas Kelly, creates music inspired by 90s alt rock bands that meet classic bands of the 60s and 70s. His lush and sentimental song, “Scotch,” was produced by Aaron Goldstein.
The song was inspired by Kelly’s walks to coffee shops, his friends, and guitar tones by the band TOPS.
Jason Kent has been making music his whole life as a frontman with his band Sunfields, and has recorded and toured as a sideman in an array of Montréal bands. His debut album was released in 2006, and his sophomore album Soft Commotion, fifteen years later. Now he brings us his latest album, Common Tongues (out June 2nd), which delves into the caverns of song with grainy vocals, acid-laced guitars, boisterous pianos and swampy undertones of vintage folk rock.
“Fake Those Blues” captures a moment in time of a singer banging away at his piano. The whole time Kent was writing this song, he was just trying to keep up with it because it was literally written and recorded in two days.
Kent and his engineer/mixer, Sam Gemme agreed that the song dictated that it wanted to be “live” sounding and natural. Some might categorize it as ‘70’s sounding. One can almost picture Harry Nilsson and John Lennon snorting lines off the console, cranking the master fader and singing along at the tops of their lungs!
This weekend The Mitte Cultural District Announces their First Time Dynamic Art Festival which features RJ Mitte.
This exciting festival is a celebration of the vibrant and diverse arts community in the city of Brownsville while bringing talent from Hollywood and other places in the country to learn from and foster relationships and opportunities.
Each of their special guests will offer a one hour workshop in their respective field, along with performances from our local artists and performers. This festival is a testament to the creativity and passion of their community, and they look forward to sharing it with visitors from near and far. Come and join the foundation for a day of art, film, music and culture that you won’t want to miss.
RJ Mitte, the award winning actor best known for playing Walter “Flynn” White Jr. on the AMC series Breaking Bad, will open up the festival on Saturday April 29. The exciting festival is a celebration of the vibrant and diverse arts community in Brownsville, while bringing talent from Hollywood to learn and foster relationships and opportunities. From acting coach David Wells who has taught actors like RJ and Mila Kunis, to Jordan Ansel who has produced films like The Unseen, the guests are bringing an extraordinary lost of accomplishments and knowledge to the community.
The Mitte Foundation provided a grant to be able to bring the special guests to Brownsville, Texas. RJ is working to fulfill his grandparents’ Roy F and Joanne Cole Mitte dream, to promote and enhance historical, culture, and educational activities with the Mitte Cultural District.
Musicians often boast they have music in their blood. They should give singer/songwriter/activist Jennifer Harper a run for her money. After listening to even a few of her missives, it’s all too easy to fall in love with her contemplative, assured artistry.
The singer/songwriter just released her new song, the intentional folk ballad “Beautiful Earth,” along with it’s music video. While the song is a dedication to Mother Earth, the video visually depicts Jennifer’s love and respect for nature and the Earth. The images flow across the screen as the wind blows through grass fields. She acknowledges everything that Earth offers and how spectacular it is, from the deserts of the Sahara to the forest-bathed waterfalls in the tropics.
We spoke with Jennifer about her video below:
Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically in this way?
This song is a vow to myself and to Mother Earth to call in my highest potential for her sake. It is also a vision of others doing the same – so that she may experience a rebirth from our collective healing.
Originally I was going to create a lyric video with beautiful images of the earth. But ultimately, it felt important to have me in the video, in nature – as the song is about calling in deeper connection between people and the earth. I wanted to create a visual that had a feeling of contemplation, prayer and celebration as I am “calling in” and “daring to dream, seeing rebirth” .
What was the inspiration behind this video (visuals, storyline, etc.)?
I definitely wanted to covey the magic and majesty of our beautiful planet with images of pristine natural beauty. “Visions washing over me, living in a world I believe in”
I love the way the filmmaker, Heather Seybolt, was able to weave me into many of the images of flowers and water, clouds and sky. I feel it helped illustrate the concept I wanted to convey- that we are one.
I especially love the rainbow washing over me. I also used a rainbow swirl in my single art. To me, rainbows are messages from a higher realm. They symbolize the new earth that I envision and call in through this song. I have had powerful experiences with rainbow light frequency. It has come to me and come from me in a surge of energy. So theres a much deeper meaning for me where it comes in twice in the video.
What was the process of making this video?
I filmed in LA with Heather one fun sunny afternoon. We played in nature and laughed and enjoyed the creative process together. The wind was with us. It was wonderful. We were short on time as we were shooting 2 videos in one day. We had no expectations for this. Just a brief window to play and see what magic we could create. We are a great team as we both get excited by the same things…. Oh look a purple flower… we have to get that! I know a place with long grass …. Oh yes! It was totally spontaneous. A beautiful creatively fulfilling day I will always treasure.
El Paso-based musician Amaris has released a new single called “Lemon, Lime & Bitters”.
This debut indie pop song is a beautiful, emotive and haunting track which is a tribute to Amaris´ husband as she imaged a life in which they lived worlds apart. To combat the longing, she imagines his favorite drink; lemon, lime and bitters. It is also a song that serves as a further nod to the loss of her two babies and five family members in a short time span on 2 years.
“Lemon, Lime & Bitters!” s a great example of how a song can gain power and further its meaning with time. I wrote it in November 2020. Back then, it was about me imagining a lifewithout my husband by my side. Now, it´s about grief, loss, and the will to overcome,” sharesAmaris.
This single was created by listening to voice memos on her phone, hashing out the song in different phases, and finding the lyrics while playing around with different chords on the guitar.
The bass stands out as well as the melody and lyrics, with a style that is both introspective as well as bold. There is an expanded meaning about loss as Amaris´ lost her grandfather and step grandfather a year after experiences 2 miscarriages. There is an additional grief for her grandmother´s same yearning.
Amaris did not decide to become a singer – songwriter; it was something that happened quite by chance really. She taught herself how to play the guitar at age 12, and then moved on to develop her songwriting from there. Now at the age of 24, Amaris continues to write songs that inspire her and bring out those emotions and stories of her life that she couldn´t express otherwise.
With influences as broad ranging as The Smashing Pumpkins, The Killers and Nina Simone, Amaris´ musical sound is certainly interesting as well as showcasing her talent.
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