Puppets of Castro is the Los Angeles-based musical project of Andrew Lorand. An eclectic satirist and keen observer of the humor and pathos found around the darker edges of the human condition, Puppets of Castro takes his listeners on an often humorous, and often contemplative ride.
His song, “Living The Dream,” comes from his album, Nude Descending an Elevator. It’s got a great, catchy hook that immediately grabs your attention, and the song contains seven musical references from rock classics. See if you can find them all.
“My first band was the Kiwi’s, back in 5th grade, though technically in 3rd grade I was a member of the 007s, and we had only one song (we would lip sync to ‘Wipeout’, which of course was an instrumental). Nobody looked at us and thought these guys are really going places,” quips Puppets of Castro. “This song is for all the bands and musicians who stuck with it long after dreams of riding in limos, appearing on The Midnight Special, and getting their Star on Hollywood Blvd. had faded.”
Connect with Puppets of Castro and stream his music via:
Marco DiFelice is a Canadian singer, songwriter, music supervisor, and producer. In the 90’s, Marco was the lead singer of the pop-punk band, Supergarage. After the band dispersed, he found his way into the world of music supervision, where he selected music for films, adverts, and television shows including Orphan Black and Lost Girl. Now Marco is writing songs against the backdrop of his life as Parks N’ Rec. This project — a collaboration between Marco and several producers back at his own Self Titled Studios — deals with lost love, polarizing societies, and self-renewal.
Brand new track, “Peace of Mind,” offers up Parks N’ Rec‘s spin on the original by classic rockers Boston and will be included on a full-length covers set to be released this coming spring. A well-written song with a simple melody and lyrics, it reminded Marco that good music comes out of a few basic ingredients.
Marco DiFelice is a Canadian singer, songwriter, music supervisor, and producer. In the 90’s, Marco was the lead singer of the pop-punk band, Supergarage. After the band dispersed, he found his way into the world of music supervision, where he selected music for films, adverts, and television shows including Orphan Black and Lost Girl. Now Marco is writing songs against the backdrop of his life as Parks N’ Rec. This project — a collaboration between Marco and several producers back at his own Self Titled Studios — deals with lost love, polarizing societies, and self-renewal.
The brand new track, “Peace of Mind,” offers up Parks N’ Rec‘s spin on the original by classic rockers Boston and will be included on a full-length covers set to be released this coming spring. A well-written song with a simple melody and lyrics, it reminded Marco that good music comes out of a few basic ingredients.
We spoke with Parks N’ Rec about the video which you can dive into below!
Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically?
I landed in Havana and for whatever reason the melody of the song “Peace Of Mind” kept on repeating in my head. It is an epic, classic rock song from 1976 that is spectacular in production and perfect in execution. I was inspired to produce a zen like version of the song while doing my morning walk on the Malecon, a famous seawall along the north shore of the city. The walks are very peaceful at 6 am, in complete contrast to what this road becomes once the day begins. Living in Havana is a challenge for us comfortable North Americans, and I think I wanted to create a soundtrack deal with this challenge…what a life lesson?!
What was the inspiration behind this video(visuals, storyline, etc.)?
I made a visual playlist of my experiences over the last 3 years. First, I wanted to capture the lush grounds of Colombia, Costa Rica and the seabed of Belize. Part 2 , I wanted to show the stark contrast of navigating the urban jungle of Havana and NYC. Part 3 is hubble of telescopic footage that matched what I think I saw, experimenting with Bufo and ayahuasca in Mexico…lol.
What was the process of making this video?
I simply collected footage and sent back to Toronto to a talented visual editor to make it come alive. I would explain the shot list, but he became the story teller as well.
Ian Arden, the twenty-something Toronto troubadour was raised in a French Canadian and Moroccan household. When Ian began speaking as a toddler, he struggled with a stammer. Speech therapy showed meager results at best, so his father began teaching him to recite song lyrics from memory, mainly focusing on the songs of Leonard Cohen, Paul Simon and Bob Dylan. Every night, a new song was chosen, and Ian would repeat the song’s lyrics again and again until they were recited in their entirety with no stammer and no accent.
For Ian, his debut single, “Nadia,” was written in one emotional and traumatic night. The song is about compassion and concern for a loved one who is struggling with opioids or mental health. “Nadia” serves as a reminder that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Watch the music video directed by David J Redman (TEDY, BASHA, RIELL):
“Ian Arden is extremely gifted. I can’t wait for everyone to hear Nadia and the rest of his album ‘Songs for Rebecca.’ The music video for Nadia blew me away.”
–Grammy Award winner John Greenham (Billie Eilish “when we all fall asleep where do we go?” Mastering Engineer, Bo Burnham “INSIDE” Mastering Engineer.
Kendra Gabrielle is ready to paint 2023 her favourite colour with witty new single “RED,” produced by CMAO nominee producer Shawn Moore. The singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalistis a fresh-faced indie artist in the country music world.
Inspired by a joke about being attracted to red flags, “RED” captures the true Kendra, showcasing her sassy and upbeat persona.
In 2020, Kendra released her debut single “Bad Boy” which reached #2 on the Canadian Indie Country Countdown. In 2022, her self-love anthem “Drunk On My Own” earned her a nomination for Best New Solo Artist at the Mississauga Music Awards.
It’s no secret that River Town Saints have endured more than most bands could handle in a lifetime. The sudden death of one of the founding members, replacing a lead singer, and just when they had all of that figured out and were ready to introduce the world to River Town Saints 2.0, a global pandemic came along. Since then, they’ve been writing and recording new music that they are excited to release.
Brooding new single, “Goodbye Ain’t a Game,” was inspired by one of River Town Saints’ members on again/off again relationships with a now ex-girlfriend. The addition of a pedal steel guitar envelopes the track in a haunting aura.
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