Red Farrow grew up on a small dairy farm in Southern Ontario. Surrounded by music his whole life, having grown up in a small church, Red began music production later after attending university overseas in Korea. As a queer artist, Red aims to incorporate community value in all his music.
He has teamed up with Dex Donoe, a 29 year-old, Canadian singer-songwriter born and raised in Toronto, on their new track, “No Tears.”
As a queer black artist, Donoe creates layered art that connects deeply with listeners across various cultures and communities. He exists in the liminal space between dance music and poetry, drawing inspiration from Blood Orange, Chris Garneau, and Ryan Beatty.
“No Tears” is a story of release, perseverance, and love. Dex and Red highlight both the beauty of loving again after losing so many times and the ability to laugh at oneself.
Freshly reformed Canadian pop act, Stereos, have returned with “Glory Days,” a new single which celebrates the experiences that come with being on tour.
This upbeat track captures the feeling of returning to one’s hometown during the holidays, drinking at the same bars you used to, and hanging out with old friends.
“That’s how it was with Stereos every time we toured,” says guitarist Miles Holmwood. “Seeing old friends and musicians we knew from the road, being in town for one night, and telling the same stories we told a million times.”
Featuring original members, Patrick Kordyback (lead vocals), guitarists Miles Holmwood and Robb Chalifoux, and drummer Aaron Verdonk, Cheap Thrills finds the band expanding dramatically on their signature sound. But while the record showcases Kordyback’s growth as a songwriter and his willingness to expand on the styles and sounds he brings to his writing, lyrically it’s rooted in the experiences from Stereos’ first go around as well as what’s happened in their lives since then.
The result is a record that’s relentless and compelling from stem to stern, an album that finds Kordyback, the band, and JUNO Award-winning, GRAMMY-nominated producer/engineer, David Mohacsi, channeling the band’s sound and influences past and present to create a tight set of chill-inducing pop tracks brimming with hooks and no holds barred performances.
Scott Cook is a Montreal-based guitarist and songwriter. His most recent project is his first as a solo artist and was motivated, at least partially, by the recent global condition. As a result, Scott composed, performed, recorded and mixed the entire release himself – the result is a 6-song EP that is slated for release this month; September 2021. For these songs, Scott took musical influence from legendary artists such as David Bowie and Pink Floyd. As a lyricist, however, he remains blunt yet casual in his emotional expressions, social observations and day-to-day life.
The second single from the EP, “Coming Clean,” is about recognizing and revealing our weaknesses, as difficult as it may be to do so.
The members of Kick and the Hug lived through a different time in Boulder, CO, when the vibrant live music scene, and plentiful basement apartments, was a great place for a musician to make a living. The band is scattered across the country now, stretching all the way from Los Angeles to Philadelphia, and Denver. Such is the case these days; they collaborate via file sharing…but when it’s time to get in a room and create the real thing, Boulder seems as good a place as any to congregate and create, with its proximity to nature and the creativity that flows through the city. Lead singer /guitar player Doug Murray and Sam Young (drummer, keys) played together in the early 90’s Boulder stalwart the Wine bottles, before Young went on to serve stints with the Samples and Devotchka. The band is also joined by multi-instrumentalist Mike Ferguson on bass, strings, and vocals. The band’s sound is glued together by lead guitarist and in-house producer Tyler Skye. Skye is picking up steam as a producer and is best known for his work with indie upstarts FRND CRCL and The Idea.
Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically?
We’re a new band. It’s our first release… the first single from our upcoming full album release “Ladies and Gentleman, Kick and the Hug.” As a band, we were discussing those first moments when we discover new songs… and what our impression was of what the artist or band might look like.
What was the inspiration behind this video(visuals, storyline, etc.)?
This song is about “getting the band back together” and playing live, or getting your friends back together and seeing a band, live. If we could have pulled it off, we would have shot this in the cliche “packed live music dive bar” environment that we love, but Mr Covid wasn’t having any of that. So the next best thing was just shooting us playing, so people know Kick and the Hug is a band. It’s not a side project, a solo project, a piece of software… it’s dudes with guitars and drums and noisemaker things, a band.
What was the process of making this video?
Well… all of us live in cities all across the country. So the first thing we had to do was all get to the sane place at the same time. No easy feet. We didn’t have the luxury of spending too much time on a concept. The crew we had lined up to light the session bailed on us two days before we all flew to Philadelphia. Lame, so most of our efforts were just making sure the right gear and technicians showed up on set. We figured … if we couldn’t come up with something as clever as Ok Go’s treadmill video, or PSY’s Gangnam Style, then we should at least make sure it looks good. We think we accomplished that… the lighting has a nice chill vibe to it, and the background graphics are from our album cover. We also figured out how to squeeze in a little fun bit in the beginning… and we found a box of shirts in the warehouse that we shot it in … they became our wardrobe. Someone online said we were dressed like undertakers… which is fine, that’s fair… but I still think we look better than had we not found those shirts.
It takes a lot of life experience to craft engaging, universal song lyrics—and singer, songwriter and musician Mary Jennings has had more than a lion’s share. How’s this for a start: stops as a teacher, aerobics instructor, clothing retailer, bartender, luggage saleswoman, paranormal researcher and now mother. Add to that the early loss of her mom , and there are plenty of stories to share. Jennings states that music has kept her sane.
While the music alone makes Mary Jennings an artist that fans can easily relate to, her somewhat quirky personality and a diverse range of interests have also gone a long way towards building a bond with her fan base. An avid horror movie fan, she has more than 400 fright flicks in her own private collection and openly admits that being scared and thrilled is probably her biggest geek factor. Her love for thrifting and secondhand clothing, something she learned from her mother, is a major influence on her vintage style and the inspiration behind the enormously popular clothing swap shows that she has hosted in a number of U.S. cities. Mary has turned her unique style, love of thrifting, and drive to create, No Sass Creations, through which she makes and sells bolo ties and other upcycled accessories. However, the most important aspect of her life is her daughter, Eliza, who is a huge inspiration in her new release, “Matriarch.” We caught up with Mary to discuss her new video for “Liar.”
Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically? In March of 2020, we pulled Eliza from her preschool to homeschool her until things felt more safe. I always knew she was super imaginative but during this one on one time together, I really saw it blossom even more. I was doing everything in my power to keep her happy and positive in a time full of worldly discomfort and isolation so we made up all kinds of stories and imaginary lands to explore. That’s how I became a “liar.” If she asked me if fairies were real, the answer was absolutely. I was honest with her about tough questions when I needed to be but I wanted to maintain (and still do) that active part of her imagination as long as humanly possible.
What was the inspiration behind this video(visuals, storyline, etc.)? To me, the only way to do a video for this song was to show the inspiration for it. So I compiled a ton of home videos taken from the time Eliza was a baby to now, showing this magical, imaginative creature I have the pleasure of calling my daughter. I wanted to show her in her most natural state and this was it.
What was the process of making this video? The primary goal for me was to find an amazing editor who could connect all of these videos and make them cohesive for the song. Finding Carlos Boellinger was the best! He was incredibly patient as I sent him hundreds of clips to sift through for a 3 minute music video. He found the perfect ones for the project to pull at all of the right heart strings. It was his idea to add the performance parts of me as well that I initially fought but I am glad I did. I shot all of those from an iPhone and sent them his way for editing. Everything on my end was very DIY and luckily I was able to find a pro that put it together in an amazing way.
GR^VE (pronounced ‘grave’) is a newly formed duo composed of Seraph on vocals, and music by Carbon. The pair have come together by what they described as a mutual understanding of our common mortality. Their mission statement is to provide a necessary soundtrack to all who listen to their upcoming multimedia releases of video art and streamable music in a single format. Recently sharing their new single and video for “In Fire,” this starts a whole new unique and notable realm for the group. We had the opportunity to chat with the duo regarding their latest masterpiece, below.
Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically?
Seraph: This song is very close to my heart being about fighting the very anxieties that hold us back in all areas in life but especially in art. We are fed from a very young age that you need to fit in a box to be deemed of value by society with no real path to that “acceptable” eventuality. This teaches us from a young age to feel alone. It’s especially true when what is considered acceptable isn’t something that appeals to you as a person. The systems that made this way of life for generations before us no longer work. The world is in chaos from the pandemic, climate change, and apathy. We can only muster the strength to live through this and survive. Pushing through those concerns both external, and more dangerous, those we feed ourselves is everything. To create something in spite of it is value. Finding a way to visualize this was cathartic and I hope it resonates with others who feel similarly.
Carbon: I write a lot of instrumental demos to show Seraph, this was one I felt had an experimental side to it that wasn’t sure would work in the world of singles. But with her voice and lyrical additions, it felt right to conceptualize an art piece around it, and thus Seraph’s vision for the visuals is a perfect accompaniment.
What was the inspiration behind this video(visuals, storyline, etc.)? S: As a child I was always terrified of and also drawn to all things horror. The video is meant to invoke that hazy 80’s horror movie feel. It’s a very direct link between media and self esteem in children and showing a child hearing those taunts “Don’t try, you’ll never find your place” is a way to get that point across visually. The chorus is what we see resonating with the child as they sing along. It was important to show that it isn’t doubts that invoke a reaction, it is the refrain. In spite of the rising horror around him, the child feels safe knowing that they will be okay. Ultimately that is the point of the song and I hope it comes across via the video.
C: We’ve had talks about horror films, and what we like about atmospheric horror and the vibe of that seemed perfect for the video. Seraph really is the responsible party for the entire look and feel of the visual side of “In Fire”.
What was the process of making this video?
S: Color is another character in this video. All of our videos have been black and white up to this point. There is a hazy blue palette to the video but if you look closely the shots of the band are in black and white versus the color of room and the child. It’s a subtle nod as it’s all blue treated but important to our aesthetic. Creating a black space for the shots with C and I was important so that all of the action was occurring outside of the band. Utilizing After Effects and color grading software to achieve the effects was all done in house. We originally filmed the tv sequences with the actor watching a blank screen but at age 7 it’s hard for a child to sit still and look at nothing so we had to refilm with him watching youtube and digitally replaced the footage with the media. We used after effects to blacken doorways and walls to give the room a claustrophobic feel. We used software to add diffuse lighting to give an otherworldlylook to the band. Counting renders it took around 100 hours on the production end to create the video and very pleased with the outcome.
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