We all need to protect ourselves – from nature’s wild elements, from our own turbulent hearts. This is the central theme to “Why We Build Houses,” taken from Orillia, Ontario songwriter Ian North‘s recent album, Everything is Incomplete.

The introspective and harmonic ‘fallen angel folk rock’ tune was sparked by a conversation with a friend where the song’s title struck North as a universal truth. “It’s a poem about fragility and the reference to a physical house is a metaphor for emotional and spiritual protection or self-preservation as well,” North explains.

The video was filmed on and around his forest property in Muskoka, featuring a concept that echoes the delicacy at the song’s core. “The waterfalls symbolize the turbulence of life and our own hearts,” North details. “The song starts with the image of ‘When the wind blows, it blows everywhere, through the town, takes the leaves and the lawn chairs.’ We wanted to shoot the film in the outdoors and highlight the beauty that comes from understanding ‘how small is life.'”

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

The video was shot in and around our property in Muskoka and along the Black River in Vankoughnet, near Bracebridge Ontario. It was shot on an iPhone and edited by my wife, Jennifer Claveau, with additional editing and treatment by Chris Gartner, the producer. Jennifer is a visual artist and musician who has collaborated musically with me in the past. She was inspired by the music and decided to take this project on as an interpretation of the song.

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

Jennifer Claveau, who shot the video, says:

The video direction was led by the poetry, the music and the lyrics of the song. We chose this song for visual representation because I had a strong vision for the shooting of the video after listening to it. I also have to acknowledge that we had the privilege of access to such beautiful land and surroundings. I wanted to honour our place and time through this video. We made it while I was in the final phase my art history degree at York University, and I’m now working on a Master’s degree in Environmental Studies. I am an environmental artist and I love to bring my creative interests together to combine visual art, music and science. Observation, documentation and analysis of hidden angles and patterns in nature is a large part of my artistic practice. This video represents a snapshot in time for Ian musically and for me artistically. It marks a turning point of artistic synthesis for me in applying my music and visual art experience while using technology and learning new video-making skills.  I’m quite happy with the end result and grateful to have had the chance to capture such a beautiful and personal moment in time.

3. What was the process of making this video?

Jennifer Claveau:

“I wanted to capture the expansive wilderness as a backdrop to the music. Living in the forest, we experienced firsthand a juxtaposition between the beauty and the danger of the wilderness. In certain frames around the waterfall, I played with the focus to give a sense of emotion through attention to those things in focus, in line with the lyrics and the mood of the music. I interpret the song as an ode to the environment and paying our respect to the natural order of things through poetry. The song is ultimately about human experience but it’s actually bringing the non-human and wild aspect into conversation with how humans live on the planet. I wanted to break down the barriers visually between humans and non-humans, taking a less human-centric view of the landscape. At times, I positioned Ian as a tiny part of the landscape, or blurred planes of vision between the viewer, the singer and nature, bringing the empty stool into focus, symbolizing the emptiness and presence of an in indoor object out of place sitting in the outdoors. It’s a bit strange and out of place to come across an empty stool in the woods, out in nature. It is a message that lands differently on different species. It could be a place of shelter for insects, it could be used as a barrier, it could be a place to sit after a long walk, it’s a symbol or sign that we are not alone and there is comfort or disturbance in that, depending on your view. Taking the indoors outside is a way of understanding how all living creatures are grappling with protection from the elements. In many ways, we are similar to the wild creatures and I hoped to break down the barriers between humans and nonhumans through visual vignettes.

Shealagh Rose is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist hailing from Hamilton, Ontario. Developing her voice and songwriting in Toronto at Humber College’s Bachelor of Music program, she worked with mentors like Rik Emmett (Triumph), and had the opportunity to record backup vocals with legendary producer Ken Scott. She was a regional finalist in CBC’s 2017 Searchlight competition with the song, “Dream,” off of her debut Island EP. Lush with soulful vocals, addicting progressions, and beautiful string sections, the record boasts the aesthetic of indie folk anthems. 

Shealagh’s sophomore release teases of her earlier works while introducing grittier sounds and blending the lines between folk music and contemporary pop. On “Radio Silence,” the first single from her upcoming sophomore EP, Shealagh’s motivation to write the single came from a fallout with a friend where neither was speaking to each other. Sonically, the track was purposefully written with gritty guitar, synth, pads and a more emotional vocal performance to encapture the feeling of an argument in the composition.

Now more than ever I’m sure we’ve all experienced that feeling of isolation, or feeling cut off from people; when efforts to reach out are met with an indifferent or brief response. Or even when it becomes too much that making the effort to reach out to people just becomes bothersome, leading to a vicious cycle. –  Shealagh Rose

North Carolina born, Mexico City based vocalist, songwriter, and producer, Meraki Trice is sharing a new single entitled “Waste Your Breath,” written in the aftermath of a transactional relationship.

The hazy and ethereal song mixes analog, digital, and acoustic sounds to create a richly produced soundscape which Meraki likens to the feeling of walking in the clouds or floating in the air. “Waste Your Breath” blends elements of electronic music, R&B and pop to create a highly melodic plane of existence.

I allowed him to control my narrative for too long, while I was aware he was lying about his intentions. This song to me is a retort to him, refuting his claims and laying bare the reality of our superficial relationship. – Meraki Trice

“I sort of thought that getting sober was going to fix all my problems with relationships, and then

I would just be fine,” laughs Nova Scotian singer-songwriter Mo Kenney. “Drinking was causing all the issues I was having, but it was just the tip of the iceberg; quitting made all my problems more clear but didn’t resolve any of them.”

The artist’s just-released fifth studio album, From Nowhere, delves into the alt-folk singer-songwriter’s subsequent investigations into the root causes of their interpersonal dramas, occupying that liminal and trepidatious time when one is compelled to move but unsure where they might be headed.

The album’s nursery rhyme-like title track, “From Nowhere,” captures an unsettling yet dream-like feeling, as Kenney and their friend, keys player Siobhan Martin, depict Kenney’s childhood growing up in the “middle of nowhere” in Nova Scotia. “It happened to me, it happened to me like it happened to you,” Kenney gently calls during the song’s chorus over an eerie organ melody played by Martin.

Robert Thomas has crafted songs for legends like Kenny Rogers, Bonnie Raitt and the Dixie Chicks. After four decades in the background as a staff songwriter, Thomas stepped into the spotlight as a performer in a major way in 2022/23 performing to 74 consecutive standing ovations across Canada, the U.S. and Europe, and garnering an East Coast Music Association nomination for “Entertainer of the Year” along the way.

Robert’s new acoustic single, the richly metaphorical “A River Runs Through,” was produced by JUNO Award-winner Catherine MacLellan and inspired by the idyllic beauty of the river country beside his home in Waterford, New Brunswick and, like his mentor Johnny Cash before him, the lateness of the hour in his own career and lifetime more generally.  

This song is an expression of the profound gratitude I feel for the beauty and times I have experienced alone and with my two sons over a lifetime in the Waterford Valley. At the same time, it also gives voice to the daunting realization that my time will soon be at hand and that my river has almost reached the sea. I must say, there is a little trepidation about what comes next and, like  Johnny Cash before me, I hope Gabriel’s horn is out there to guide us all home. – Robert Thomas