While directing the musical Once in Montréal, Andrew Shaver and Eva Foote began a beautiful friendship and musical collaboration. After splitting with his girlfriend, Shaver hit the highway and called his buddy Matthew Barber as he drove to Toronto. This was the beginning of a new chapter for Shaver that would see him bounce around a few winter sublets before heading to Australia to – as a buddy so wisely suggested – flip his chi. 

Produced by Barber, Artefact, Shaver’s new album out January 20th, chronicles the journey of that flip. Clever Hopes was born when he got back to Canada and played those songs for Foote. 

We caught up with Clever Hopes regarding her new video below.

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

This is the song that documents the catalyst for the breakup and, as such, the album. It’s also the first song Eva and I worked on together. We had sorted out harmony lines for her, but it was originally written just from my perspective. We were days away from recording before we realized that we needed to divvy up the verses to really tell the story properly. We switched the pronouns and it came to life in a whole new way. I can’t imagine it otherwise now. It became the blueprint for how we approached the rest of the album in-studio. It’s the kind of broken hearted love song that might come too late to fix things, but just in time to try again.

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

As soon as we recorded this track, Eva imagined a boxing video for it in which she’d drag me into a ring to kick my ass wearing a unitard and a big ol’80’s hairdo. We didn’t end up going in exactly that direction, but, she does take the solo to teach me a lesson in the middle of an empty parking lot. This video is really the brainchild of my buddy Kyle Gatehouse’s. He conceived of it. He shot it. He edited it. An intense relationship has a way of warping time and memory, and we wanted to create a rapid-fire slideshow of fragmented moments and places, something that looked like how a remembered romance might feel.

What was the process of making this video?

Kyle is a ruthless planner. I fly more by the seat of my pants. This kind of video was never going to work just winging it. But, c’mon, every creative process needs a little room for the unknown. So, Kyle spent hours storyboarding the shots and then we headed out on the shoot days looking for locations that inspired us. It was a great balance between preparation and spontaneity. The shots themselves (the hyperlapse, the match cuts etc) were easy enough to set up and shoot. The work was in the sheer number of them that we needed to capture to make it all happen – to say nothing of the mountain of time Kyle spent editing this monster.

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Angel Forrest was named Female Vocalist of the Year 7 times by the Toronto Blues Society between 2013 and 2021. In November 2019, ready to hit the American market, Angel released the critically acclaimed album Hell Bent with Grace which has been nominated at the JUNO Awards in 2021 as Blues Album of the Year.

The new single “My Favourite” reflects the love you can beautifully share when you’re in your best place (mentally, emotionally, spiritually…physically). In this time of uncertainty, the song is that plea that we need to find a haven, a place where we can love ourselves and take solace so we can learn to love and be kind to others. We caught up with Angel regarding her new video below.

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

My husband and co-writer D.Columbus and I spent the last 2 years on an island in the Pacific….we found ourselves very blessed to be surrounded by such beauty during these ugly times. Our creativity, confidence, passion, hope, and joie de vivre returned quickly …we became what we thought, was our best version of ourselves. 

I think the song’s lyrics are very visual.

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

I wanted this time and experience of reflection and rebirth (if you will) documented ….a reminder to us all of the beauty and love that surrounds us.

Finding peace within…on an island or wherever.

‘Love the life you live…live the life you love.’

What was the process of making this video?

‘My Favorite’ was filmed in the Dominican Republic …in Michès to be exact. Mother Nature blessed us that day with perfect weather.

And love was definitely in the air.

D. Columbus has been active in the music industry for over 30 years. Notable for his versatility, the self-taught multi-instrumentalist — who is a seasoned guitar player, bassist, backing vocalist, singer, live sound engineer and music producer — has taken part in fourteen studio albums, earning recognition from the Maple Blues Awards and more.

Best known for his collaborations, it’s D. Columbus’ turn to debut his own solo album, demonstrating a mastery of writing catchy feel-good songs that speak to the heart and bring people together. Produced with Angel Forrest and Ricky Paquette, 11 Dollar Bill is a stompin’ good time. Spirited and fun, the track “Saddle Me Up” conjures a euphoric feeling. 

Sensitive yet powerful, D. Columbus has an impressive vocal range. While surrounding his precise yet gravelly voice with full orchestrations that combine guitars, bass, drum, keys, fiddle and pedal steel, he unveils an honest country-pop music — there’s an emotional rawness to it and that’s what makes it so real. 

DJ Karaba’s music is electric and spicy. There is no moment of pause or slow down. Her intensity, her wish to see people dance and feel the music the way she feels it, is aspirational, all-consuming. DJ Karaba is currently working on her own project – an EP that will combine her love of creation and movement for music lovers, and her desire to master production – alongside Young Galaxy’s Stephen Ramsay, whom she cites as a key mentor and collaborator during this process.

New single, “Roots,” recreates the style of South African Amapiano and is a feel good track that was made for the dancefloor. The song’s title is a statement to DJ Karaba’s Congo-Brazzaville origins and feels like a return to Africa for her.

https://soundcloud.com/djkaraba/roots-masterbyphil/s-X1ZbP8w3JAz

Carleton Stone is an award-winning artist, a songwriter with a growing list of credits, and a founding member of Port Cities. Having recently added the role of producer to his list of accomplishments after working with Willie Stratton on his track “The Way She Holds Me,” Stone  will spend the fall producing Willie’s new record, songs by Chudi Harris, and his very own solo release due out in June 2022.

The seed of new single, “Ice Age,” came from an article Stone read about a couple who had been discovered after being frozen in ice for almost a hundred years. Written in a castle in Colditz, Germany, “Ice Age” paints a fantasy world where whatever problems you are having in your relationship disappear – the romantic idea of being frozen in time with someone before things can get any worse. 

As a teen, Ben Sefton’s budding love of songwriting quickly developed into an obsession, fueling the creation of hundreds of unreleased songs. Driven by his deep love of earworm pop melodies and a passion for candid lyrical witticism and word play, he has effectively created a style all of his own. Backed by hours of focused guitar practice, Sefton matches his ceaseless song creation with considerable vocal and instrumental prowess.

New single, “Harrison,” is an indignant attempt at turning the private pain of a teenage misanthrope into an anthem. Sefton creates a tone of pure relatability that will bring listeners back to the days of heavy backpacks, rampant acne and unbearable anxiety. The video takes those ideas and plants them firmly through the lens of a John Hughes 80s film.