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Artist Spotlight: Nuela Charles
Nuela Charles is an alternative soul singer/songwriter based in Edmonton, Canada, known for her soulful vocals and captivating stage presence. Noted as “one to watch” by the legendary SoulTrain.com, Nuela has become an indie synch darling, landing 11 TV placements off of her debut album “Aware” alone! Cited by the U.K.’s Metro publication as “cocked, locked and ready to be shot onto the world stage with a soulful voice that may one day fill the Amy Winehouse-shaped holes in everyone’s hearts,” Nuela has brought her distinct voice to various stages across North America. Over the last several years she has showcased at Canadian Music Week multiple times, headlined an evening…
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Artist Spotlight: Witch Prophet
Witch Prophet is a queer, Ethiopian/Eritrean, singer-songwriter, the CO-CEO of Heart Lake Records and member of feminist-based electro/grunge/dub-hop group ‘Above Top Secret’. She provides her fans with a soundscape of vocal layers, loops, raps and harmonies on a bed of hip-hop, house and soul-inspired beats. Think Erykah Badu meets Lauryn Hill meets Jill Scott. Her widely-anticipated album “D.N.A Activation”was released March 2020 to critical acclaim. An Ethio Jazz/RnB/Hip-Hop fusion with songs sung in English, Amharic, and Tigrinya. A collection of sounds co-produced by SUN SUN and Witch Prophet, named and inspired after Witch Prophet’s family, biblical stories, myths and her Ethiopian, Eritrean roots. To buy her music or learn more…
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Artist Spotlight TEKE TEKE
Formed at the crack of 2017, TEKE TEKE was first an homage to legendary Japanese guitarist Takeshi ‘Terry’ Terauchi. Using his music as a starting point, TEKE TEKE has quickly evolved into a band of its own by blending Japanese ‘Eleki’ with elements of modern music such as shoegaze, post-rock and noise. Therefore, making the experience not so much a trip back in time, but rather a psychedelic look into the future! With a repertoire that revisits old school tracks from the land of the rising sun (Kaji Meiko, Asakawa Maki, Nakajima Miyuki…), several songs from maestro Takeshi, TEKE TEKE is now naturally moving on to writing original music. The…
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Artist Spotlight: Evangeline Gentle
Rich, sweet, and lush with vibrato. These are only a few of the unmistakable qualities that constitute Evangeline Gentle’s fervent timbre. But make no mistake; they are more than an accomplished voice – their songwriting possesses authenticity and depth as rare and unique as their own journey. Born on the Northeast coast of Scotland, Evangeline has live performance in their blood. Queer, and passionate about social justice, Evangeline believes in the good-naturedness of people and our capabilities of growing together. At only 23 years of age, Evangeline’s accolades are already accumulating at an impressive rate. They were awarded Emerging Artist at the 2015 Peterborough Folk Fest, Best Female Vocalist of…
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Artist Spotlight: Rakkatak
Rakkatak merges classical Indian rhythms and melodies with a pop music aesthetic. The concept started as Anita Katakkar‘s solo project in 2009, out of her need to share the subtle beauty of tabla in a non-traditional way. A year later, Rakkatak morphed into a musical partnership with bassist Oriana Barbarto and guest musicians including: Lisa Patterson, Morgan Doctor, Dino Toledo, Samidha Joglekar and Rex Van der Spuy. Rakkatak released their third album “Small Pieces” in April 2017 and will be releasing their fourth album in the fall of 2020 featuring master vocalist Pratik Rao, bansuri player Hasheel Lodhia, violinist Jessica Deutsch and multi-faceted musician Zaynab Wilson. Rakkatak aims to: serve…
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Artist Spotlight: Jeanne Rochette
Passionate about music and theatre, author-composer and French vocalist Jeanne Rochette studied in Paris. Upon her arrival in Quebec ten years ago, she became dedicated to the genre Chanson. With carefully-crafted lyrics, scenes drawn from real life, and funny, even wacky delivery, she enriches the repertoire of French Chanson with inspiration from jazz and world music. Releasing her first album in 2010, entitled Elle sort, she revealed this original universe. She was the winner of Les Découvertes de la chanson de Magog in 2008. On stage, the vitality of Jeanne and her theatrical experience make a spectacle of color and energy. Claude Lemesle (lyricist for Reggiani, Bécaud, Dassin…) says of…
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Artist Spotlight: SATE
Combining blistering hard rock with gritty blues, SATE is an artist who it’s impossible to ignore. Her music leaves you exhausted but leaves a fire burning in your soul that wasn’t there before. Toronto’s NOW Magazine described her as having “a tornado of a stage presence,” while Lithium’s live reviewer proclaimed, “I can tell you sincerely that she is one of the most resounding artists I’ve heard.” When each show inevitably reaches its climax with the indelible image of SATE, fist in the air, and an entire audience raising its hands in unity, the full spectrum of human emotions—anger, joy, vulnerability—suddenly comes into sharp focus through the music. SATE has…
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Artist Spotlight: Bonjay
Dancehall-bred. Orchestrated like old soul. Driven by emotive vocals inspired as much by Feist as by Yolanda Adams. There’s a rawness to Bonjay: to the feelings, to the voice, to the sounds clashing. It sounds like something new. In cities and suburbs around the world, the next generation of young musicians are emerging. Inspired by the underground music of the last 30 years, they are unencumbered by the restrictions of style and attitude that traditionally divided genres. Cities that once tried to emulate New York or London are coming to the forefront, newly confident in their local blends. The youth are coming into their own, cheering the home team, celebrating…
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Artist Spotlight: Riit
From the land that never melts comes a sound that radiates life, youth and promise. Riit, from majestic Panniqtuq, Nunavut, is a new artist making space for herself in the electropop world with Inuktitut lyrics and deep rhythmic vocals layered over gemological synth cuts and sticky, staticky electronic textures. Riit’s music emerges from very distinct circumstances of place, language and experience. Throughout her debut full-length album, produced by Graham Walsh (Holy Fuck) and recorded in Iqaluit, Nunavut and Toronto, Riit sings about the clarity of forgiveness, the imprint of the past on the present, and personal disconnection. In Inuktitut, Riit’s songs explore family, life and love. Riit also nods to…
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Tay Creek Folk Festival
Started in 2008 by Jenifer Jobbins, the Tay Creek Folk Festival (Tay Creek, NB) July 17 – 19, is an annual opportunity for New Brunswick musicians to gather & perform in a beautiful country setting. Tay Creek Folk Festival has received and ‘A’ on the Canadian Festival Report Card for the past two years. Visit their website for tickets and lineup info! http://taycreekfestival.ca/
