West My Friend Announce Release Of New Album On September 20th

FIRST SINGLE 'BUILD A BED' OUT NOW!
LISTEN/SHARE HERE

Victoria-based chamber folk trio, West My Friend, are excited to announce the release of their fourth album In Constellation on September 20th. The melodious first single 'Build a Bed' is out now after premiering on Aesthetic Magazine last week, and is an excellent teaser of what's to come. West My Friend will be on the road in support of In Constellation starting on August 22nd, and the tour includes a hometown Album Release Show on September 20th at Alix Goolden Hall. See below for complete tour listings.

In Constellation is an exciting departure from West My Friend’s usual folk trio sound. Accompanied by a full 53-player orchestra, this symphonic album pushes the boundaries of what folk music can be — a crossover between roots music and classical music, exploring fresh sonic territory and showcasing the band’s genre-bending songwriting. And the lead single 'Build a Bed’ is the first actual happy love song that vocalist/guitarist Eden Oliver has written in four albums!

"'Build a Bed' is a love song about staying in love, and I began writing it while assembling a bed for me and my partner," says Eden. "It is full of metaphors about putting in the effort and staying through thick and thin. The vibrant and Aaron Copland-esque orchestration lifts the song to a grandiose level by taking the rhythmic drive from our band's three instruments and handing much of it over to the symphony."

Mingling grassroots guitar, mandolin, accordion, orchestral instruments, and interweaving harmonies, In Constellation (produced by Joby Baker, co-produced and arranged by Adrian Dolan) features longtime members Eden Oliver, Alex Rempel, and Jeff Poynter conceiving a new box, then thinking outside of it. Punctuated by musings on anxiety and belonging, song structures vary and dynamics change from moment to moment, painting powerful lyrical portraits over backgrounds of violins and trumpets that swell, collapse, and tumble between bold harmonies.

With over 650 performances and several tours under their collective belt, West My Friend is bringing forth a new sound you’ve never known you’ve wanted and new meaning to the things you’ve never known you needed.

In Constellation will be available on Spotify, Apple Music/iTunes and other digital retailers and streaming services on September 20th. For more information, please visit: westmyfriend.com


WEST MY FRIEND | UPCOMING TOUR DATES
August 22 - Portland, OR - House Concert
August 23 - Salem, OR - The Hayloft
September 20 - Victoria, BC - Alix Goolden Hall
October 18 + 19 - Saskatoon, SK - OSAC
October 20 - Langley, BC - Rose Gellert Hall @ Langley Community Music School
November 5 - Ashland, OR - Casa Campbell 
November 6 - Portland, OR - OMSI - Music Under the Dome
November 8 - Seattle, WA - Stone Way Cafe
November 10 - Coquitlam, BC - Evergreen Cultural Centre

WEST MY FRIEND - IN CONSTELLATION
RELEASE DATE: SEPTEMBER 20th, 2019 (Independent)
01. Fall Knows
02. Salt Water
03. Build a Bed
04. Old Song
05. Shape of a Home
06. All These Things
07. An Education
Download High-Res Album Art

FOLLOW WEST MY FRIEND:
Website | Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube

MEDIA TOOLS:
STREAM/SHARE West My Friend's 'Build a Bed' HERE
DOWNLOAD bio, high-res press photos + album art HERE (Photo Credit: Moss Photography)

Leeroy Stagger Announces Release Of New Album September 13th + Premieres New Video

VIDEO FOR 1ST SINGLE 'STRANGE ATTRACTOR' PREMIERES TODAY

WATCH/SHARE 'STRANGE ATTRACTOR' HERE

To say that Alberta musician Leeroy Stagger’s life journey has followed a strange path would be a bit of an understatement. 17 years as a singer-songwriter and 10 years sober, with two kids, a home in Lethbridge and a world class recording studio to go with it, he’s far removed from the hard-living twenty-something who started on this musical path.

On September 13th, Leeroy Stagger invites us to be a part of his journey with the release of his new album and book, Strange Path, through True North Records. And today marks the release of the video for the glam-rock blissed out first single, ‘Strange Attractor’.  Directed by Brock Davis Mitchell, the video draws inspiration from films like ‘The Favourite’ and ‘Marie Antoinette’ and weaves an experimental narrative with shocking bursts of colour.  Watch video here. 

The name Strange Path applies as much to Leeroy’s unexpected route from the BC punk scene to southern-Alberta singer songwriter as it does to the album’s own evolution. Following from 2017’s Love Versus, itself a creative re-emergence after a years-long fog of anxiety and depression, Strange Path is the end result of a triple-album’s worth of scrapped demos, and a spirit-reviving retreat inwards. It’s also Stagger’s most ambitious and philosophical creation yet, a veritable self-help book pulled from a lifetime of struggling towards the light and brimming with the hard-won joy at the heart of his recent renaissance. It’s an album full of sharp hooks and sharper insight, and the first single ‘Strange Attractor’ rides that line right to the end. 

“Nothing is permanent when you really stop and think,” says Leeroy. “The home we live in, the car we drive, the children we raise, the art we make and the skin that we’re in. It’s not forever, it’s barely real, and that’s ok to me because I’ve been shown the truth of it all. In seeing that it’s not that big of a deal, this has shown me how beautiful it all is. It’s precious, impermanent and beautiful. ‘Strange Attractor’ is about the unseen nature of impermanence and the sacredness of the life we live.”

In making Strange Path, Leeroy surrounded himself with some of the best players in the business, including drummer Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello and the Attractions, Elliot Smith, Los Lobos), longtime collaborator Tyson Maiko, Paul Rigby (Neko Case, Garth Hudson, Jakob Dylan), Ryland Moranz and Michael Ayotte. The album was mixed by five time Grammy winner Ryan Freeland (Ray LaMontagne, Bonnie Raitt, Rodney Crowell) and Brad Barr of The Barr Brothers shared producer’s chair with Leeroy on four of the eleven tracks. 

When it comes out on September 13th, Strange Path will be the 2nd album that Leeroy Stagger has released in 2019. Released on May 17th, Me and the Mountain is a companion piece to Strange Path, an Americana-influenced counterpart to Strange Path’s contemporary sound. Written during a 3-week singer-songwriter residency at the Banff Centre, Me and the Mountain is the album that Leeroy chose not to abandon. 

Leeroy Stagger and his musicians will tour to support Strange Path throughout North America and Internationally, see below for the full tour schedule. Strange Path will be available on Spotify, Apple Music/iTunes and other digital retailers and streaming services on September 13th. For more information, please visit: leeroystagger.com

LEEROY STAGGER | UPCOMING TOUR DATES
July 12 - Calgary, AB - King Eddy (Stampede Show)
July 19 - Fort MacLeod, AB - South Country Fair
Aug 3-5 - Canmore, AB - Canmore Folk Festival
Aug 29 - Mount Stewart, PEI - Trailside Cafe
Aug 30 - Halifax, NS - Halifax Urban Folk Festival
Aug 31 - Montreal, QC - Petit Campus
Sept 1 - Wentworth-Nord, QC - Rickks Room
Sept 5 - Marlboro, NY - The Falcon
Sept 6 - New York, NY - TBC
Sept 7 - Rhinebeck, NY - House Concert
Sept 9 - Woodstock, NY - TBC
Sept 10 - Syracuse, NY - House Concert
Sept 11 - Burnstown, ON - Neat Coffee Shop
Sept 12 - Toronto, ON - The Horseshoe
Sept 13 - Ottawa, ON - The Rainbow
Sept 14 - Lethbridge, AB - Lethbridge College
Oct 11 - Santa Monica, CA - McCabe’s
Oct 12 - Los Angeles, CA - TBC
Oct 15 - San Francisco, CA - Hotel Utah
Oct 16 - Sacramento, CA - Feist Wines
Oct 17 - Portland, OR - White Eagle Saloon
Oct 18 - Vancouver, BC - The Fox Theatre
Oct 19 - Victoria, BC - TBC
Oct 21 - Parksville, BC - Bayside Resort

LEEROY STAGGER - STRANGE PATH 
RELEASE DATE: SEPTEMBER 13th, 2019 (True North Records)
01.  Mother
02.  Deeper Well
03.  Breaking News 
04.  Strange Attractor
05.  Nobody Alive Gets Out Of Here
06.  Jesus And Buddha
07.  These Things
08.  Hey Hey! (For Gord)
09. Leonard Cohen is Dead
10.  Get Ourselves To Love
11.  The Light
Download High-Res Album Art

FOLLOW LEEROY STAGGER: 
Website | Apple Music | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube

MEDIA TOOLS:
WATCH/SHARE Leeroy Stagger's 'Strange Attractor' video HERE
DOWNLOAD bio, high-res press photos + album art HERE (Photo Credit: David Guenther)

Vancouver Musician Sarah Jickling Releases Powerful New Single SAINT

NEW ALBUM THE FAMILY CURSE OUT ON NOVEMBER 8th

WATCH/SHARE 'SAINT' VIDEO HERE

Vancouver musician, performer, and mental health advocate Sarah Jickling is pleased to announce the release of 'Saint', the first single from her upcoming sophomore album The Family Curse, which is set for release on November 8th. 'Saint' was officially released on Friday, June 28th, following the video premiere on Aesthetic Magazine.

On The Family Curse, Sarah explores mental illness within families and intergenerational trauma, and documents her childhood experiences and revelations about her family’s history of bipolar disorder. The decision to write about such difficult subject matter was not an easy one for Sarah to make, and the vulnerability she feels in sharing her story is conveyed through her performance of aerial arts in the video for ’Saint’.

"When I perform aerial arts in this video, I showcase the strength that I've gained in the past year; but as a relative beginner, I feel very vulnerable," says Sarah. "This is also how I feel about releasing this song about my childhood. There's some strength in sharing secrets, but there's also vulnerability. I wanted to reflect the hesitation and fear I felt about dropping this single with literal drops on the silks.”

In her music, Sarah Jickling marries shimmering pop melodies to sharp, candid lyrics about her personal struggles with bipolar disorder. As a touring performer in BC high schools with the BC Schizophrenia Society’s Reach Out Psychosis program she uses music and humour as a tool to deliver practical, destigmatizing education about mental illness. In her newest creative practice, pole dancing and aerial silks, Sarah has turned a coping mechanism into a venue for conversations about shame and body positivity.

Sarah's many artistic projects all orbit around the main project of survival - whether in conversation, performance, writing, or dance her voice rings through loud and clear as a fierce force for empathy and change. Vancouver reporter Paul McLellan (The Indie Mixtape) calls Jickling an “epic rock star and brilliant conversation starter for mental health.” Her first solo album, 2017’s When I Get Better, recorded her journey through bipolar recovery - not an unflinching, insipid inspiration-anthem, but a nuanced, smart, brutally honest account that embraces every flinch as part of the struggle. 

Sarah Jickling's new album The Family Curse will be available on Spotify, Apple Music/iTunes and other digital retailers and streaming services on November 8th. For more information and the most up to date tour listings, please visit: sarahsgoodbadluck.com

FOLLOW SARAH JICKLING:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube

MEDIA TOOLS:
WATCH/SHARE Sarah Jickling's 'Saint' video HERE (via YouTube)
STREAM/SHARE Sarah Jickling - 'Saint' HERE (via SoundCloud)
DOWNLOAD high-res press photos + album art HERE (Photo Credit: Jordan Taylor Robbins)

 "Over the past couple of years the Lotsusland-raised singer-songwriter has proven herself one of the most interesting fixtures on the city’s music scene. Musically, Jickling traffics in a brand of pop that’s beautifully inspirational." - Mike Usinger, The Georgia Straight

The Producers Lounge presents: In Conversation with Sylvia Massy & Howard Redekopp @ The Warehouse Studio on July 6th

Saturday, July 6th
5:30 - 7:00pm

Limited Tickets Available to the Public via Eventbrite
CLICK HERE FOR TIX

The Producers Lounge is proud to present: In Conversation with Sylvia Massy & Howard Redekopp at Vancouver's Warehouse Studio on Saturday, July 6th. Join legendary US producer Sylvia Massy and Vancouver's own Grammy-nominated producer Howard Redekopp for an inspiring evening of conversation about music production and creativity, in front of a live audience.

Sylvia Massy is the unpredictable producer and engineer known for her work with Tool, Johnny Cash, Prince, Tom Petty, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but there’s a whole lot more to Sylvia than just music! Sylvia’s recorded some of the world’s biggest celebrities, and she is also a star herself. Unexpectedly appearing in the most unusual places, from caves and castles, to icebergs and submarines, doing the most unconventional recordings. She is a music producer by trade, but her style is so startling and ticklishly entertaining that she has millions of views, followers, and believers. 

Howard Redekopp is a Juno Award winning record producer, mixer, writer, musician and recording engineer, best known for his work with Tegan & Sara, Mother Mother and La Gusana Ciega. Howard's work has received two Grammy Award nominations and one Latin Grammy nomination. His work has played a significant role in the careers of Canadian favourites such as Mother Mother, The New Pornographers, Dear Rouge, Said the Whale, and Scenic Route To Alaska.

The evening will be moderated by the Creative Director of the Producers Lounge, Jane Aurora. The Producers Lounge is an innovative new initiative created for female and non-binary identifying music producers. 

Tickets to this special event are limited, and are on sale now for $35 plus booking fee via Eventbrite. Click HERE for tickets. Act now, as this is an exclusive opportunity to see Sylvia and Howard live with a small audience in one of Vancouver’s finest studios, and will sell out fast.

This event and the Producers Lounge are supported by Creative BC and the Province of British Columbia.
 

FOLLOW PRODUCER'S LOUNGE:
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Vancouver Musician Piper Cole Set To Release Debut EP on July 5th

FIRST SINGLE 'BONES' OUT NOW!

WATCH/SHARE 'BONES' VIDEO HERE

Grounded in the folk singer-songwriter tradition, Vancouver musician Piper Cole steps boldly forward into sun-soaked, pop-tinged landscapes with her debut EP release Wildish, set for release on July 5th. 

The EP's first single 'Bones' was officially released on Friday, June 7th on all digital service providers, after the video premiered at Aesthetic Magazine. Watch the video here. 

'Bones' accounts Piper Cole's personal journey towards striving for authentic self-expression amidst the internal limitations and barriers so intrinsic to being human. The compelling music video for 'Bones' was created in collaboration with local director Casey Kowalchuk and flamenco dancer, Michelle Harding.

"I am drawn to flamenco as an intensely expressive art that boldly confronts raw emotionality and uses it to create beautiful authentic art," says Cole. "I felt it was the perfect fit to visually represent ‘Bones’ as the song explores inner oppression and resistance and the fight to be heard and seen. The flamenco dancer translates emotions into movements and makes the powerful statement through percussive sounds to ‘claim your space’.”

Piper Cole's debut EP Wildish has a multi-dimensional dream-folk sound, produced by Cole herself with the assistance of co-producer Daniel Klenner. Cole has a background in sound design and production from both SFU Contemporary Arts and Berklee Music School and she chose to co-produce the album because she felt it was important to see the rise of more female producers in the music industry.

Combining traditional acoustic folk instruments with modern synths and sound design, Cole has created a work that beautifully tethers the breadth of her musical experience. The vocals are often layered, choral; Cole’s voice is controlled and elegant, but never restrained, characterized by high-pitched coloratura that embodies a baroque pop surreality reminiscent of Kate Bush. As the tracks progress, the vocals become focused and fierce, resounding through a forest of percussion, as Cole tells her story through music. 

"I work as a psychotherapist and my music is greatly influenced by the many people I have worked with on their journeys through pain, fear and disconnection and the striving to reach wholeness," says Cole. "I have struggled with perfectionism my whole life and it has painfully suppressed my creativity. When I turned 40, I was on a mission to get this album out after many years of dreaming about doing it. During the writing and producing of these songs I was met with a huge inner resistance, fear and lack of self-belief that felt crippling at times throughout the process. This album accounts my own personal struggle and transformation grappling with the veils of conditioning that cut me off from self-actualization and the spontaneity and sparkling creativity I had naturally as a child."

Piper Cole's debut EP Wildish will be available on Spotify, Apple Music/iTunes and other digital retailers and streaming services on July 5th. For more information and the most up to date tour listings, please visit: pipercolemusic.com

 
PIPER COLE | UPCOMING TOUR DATES
June 28 - Vancouver, BC - Trees Lounge
October 11 - Vancouver, BC - Deep Cove Coffee House

PIPER COLE - WILDISH | TRACK LISTING
RELEASE DATE: JULY 5th, 2019 (Independent)
01.  Bones
02.  Caution Winds
03.  Paragon 
04.  Wildish
05.  Murmuration 

FOLLOW PIPER COLE:
Website | Apple Music | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube
 

MEDIA TOOLS:
WATCH/SHARE Piper Cole's 'Bones' video HERE (via YouTube)
STREAM/SHARE Piper Cole - 'Bones' HERE (via SoundCloud)
DOWNLOAD bio, high-res press photos + album art HERE (Photo Credit: Jack Madeley)