Vancouver Garage Rockers The Vicious Cycles Premiere New Video + Announce Tour Dates

WATCH/SHARE 'High Noon Scramble'
Premiere on Exclaim!

"'Motorcycho' is one of the most enjoyable records released so far this year and I haven’t been able to take it off my turntable in a week." - The Ton

"‘Motorcycho’ is basically exactly what would happen if any number of budget-rock bands decided to crawl out of the muck and focus on some real production values and try to
get a little FM radio play." - Neon Waste

Longtime Vancouver garage punk rock favourites, The Vicious Cycles, are hitting the road for a string of U.S. West Coast tour dates in October and will kick things off in true Vicious Cycles style - at the Ship and Anchor in Calgary, AB! And premiering today at Exclaim.ca is the video for ‘High Noon Scramble’, the 2nd single from The Vicious Cycles' latest album Motorcycho. Watch video here and see below for complete tour schedule.

Since the summer of 2007, The Vicious Cycles have been rumbling through venues across Western Canada, the USA and beyond. This surly mob of rockers have built a rep for their motorbike-obsessed rock ‘n roll and a wild fear-inducing live show. The Vicious Cycles already have three 7-inches and two full-length records under their belts, and they recently released their 3rd full-length album Motorcycho through Pirate Press Records in June 2019.

Produced by Jesse Gander (White Lung, Japandroids), Motorcycho stays true to The Vicious Cycles' classic 70’s punk/garage rock sound and is chock full of the raw gritty anthems that the band is known for. The video for the album’s 1st single ‘Hot Dogs In The City’ (released in May 2019) features the guys riding their bikes in search of hot dogs (of course), and includes cameos from Nardwuar the Human Serviette and Isaac Rother (Isaac Rother & the Phantoms).

With the video for their 2nd single, The Vicious Cycles wanted to pay homage to the annual ‘High Noon Scramble’ event, organized by local dirt bike fiends Filth Mode Motorcycle Friends. The 'High Noon Scramble' video was filmed at this year's event and features a rowdy group of misfit dirt bikers, their friends, and community.

“This crew has been getting high on a 2-stroke engine exhaust and adrenaline for over 10 years now, meeting at a *cough* undisclosed location to race dirt bikes and have a laugh,” says bassist/vocalist Beardo. “Wild costumes, questionably ‘engineered’ ramps to jump off of, and motorcycles racing in every direction make the High Noon Scramble a giant party on two wheels.” 

Keyboardist Norman McFuzzybutt adds, “There’s good times, bad people, chaos, fire, beer, and maybe the cops… actually that sounds like a Vicious Cycles show! All of this action inspired us to dedicate a song and video to the ‘High Noon Scramble.’”

Look for The Vicious Cycles on tour starting on October 3rd. Motorcycho is available now on Spotify, Apple Music/iTunes, and other digital retailers and streaming services. For more information and the most up-to-date tour listings, please visit their Facebook page. 

THE VICIOUS CYCLES >> UPCOMING TOUR DATES
Oct 3 - Calgary, AB - Ship and Anchor Pub
Oct 17 - Eugene, OR - Sam Bond's Garage
Oct 19 - Oakland, CA - Rock The Ship Festival, Eli's Mile High Club
Oct 20 - Oakland, CA - Shop Show
Oct 21 - Pasadena, CA - Old Towne Pub
Oct 22 - Las Vegas, NV - Evel Pie
Oct 24 - Reno, NV - Shea's
Oct 25 - Portland, OR - TBD
Oct 26 - Seattle, WA - Cretin’s Clubhouse
Nov 10 - Vancouver, BC - The Cambie

THE VICIOUS CYCLES IS:
Billy Bones (guitar, lead vocals), Norman McFuzzybutt (theremin, keys),
Beardo (bass, vocals), Nick the Knife (guitar, vocals) + Bad Ben (drums)

FOLLOW THE VICIOUS CYCLES:
Spotify | Apple Music | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

MEDIA TOOLS:
WATCH/SHARE The Vicious Cycles - 'High Noon Scramble' video HERE
WATCH/SHARE The Vicious Cycles - 'Hot Dogs In The City' video HERE
DOWNLOAD high-res press photos + album art HERE

John Wort Hannam Kicks Off GO WEST TOUR + Announces Eastern Canadian Dates!

"John Wort Hannam is one of Alberta’s finest singer-songwriters — a man who consistently captures what it’s like to live and breathe on the prairies." - The YYScene

"One of Alberta’s most admired folksingers for the way he relates stories in song..." - Edmonton Journal

One of the hardest working musicians out there, Alberta-based singer-songwriter John Wort Hannam, is heading out across Canada once again starting with a Western Canadian Tour (The Go West Tour) which begins tonight in Twin Butte, AB. John will also be doing a string of dates in Ontario and Quebec in October, see below for full tour listing.

Recently nominated for a 2019 Western Canadian Music Award (Roots Solo Artist of the Year) for his album Acres of Elbow Room, John Wort Hannam has been gradually building buzz and critical acclaim for his 7th album since it came out in September 2018.

On Acres Of Elbow Room, John has truly found his voice through his well-honed lyrical style and has landed squarely on his niche in the folk/roots world. He's spent years learning the craft of songwriting and used those tools to write some of his most personal songs. And soon he's going to put those skills to use again when he begins work on his 8th studio album, set for release next year.

"I’ve written a baker’s dozen of new fictional tales and autobiographical musings - about things I wish I had told people while I had the chance, about a photo of my Grandfather, about losing it all at the track and about the quintessentially Canadian Legion Meat Draw," says John. "Can’t wait to bring them to life in the studio.”

Acres of Elbow Room is available now on Spotify, Apple Music/iTunes, and other digital retailers and streaming services. For more information and the most up to date tour listings, please visit: johnworthannam.com


JOHN WORT HANNAM >> UPCOMING TOUR DATES
Sept 6 - Twin Butte, AB - Twin Butte General Store
Sept 7 - High River, AB - Carlson’s on Macleod
Sept 8 - Calgary, AB - Ironwood Stage & Grill (Matinee Show)
Sept 9 - Canmore, AB - Artsplace
Sept 10 - Golden, BC - House Concert
Sept 11- Cranbrook, BC - Soul Cafe
Sept 12 - Rossland, BC - Alpine Grind
Sept 13 - Penticton, BC - Dream Cafe
Sept 14 - Vernon, BC - Lantern Folk Club
Sept 15 - Kelowna, BC - Kelowna Folk Club
Sept 26 - Fort Macleod, AB - Empress Theatre (Songs For Ken /ALS Fundraiser)
Sept 27 - Calgary, AB - Southwood United Church (Songs For Ken /ALS Fundraiser)
Oct 1 - Calgary, AB - U of C (Amnesty International Event)
Oct 5 - Lethbridge, AB - The Slice (Inclusion Lethbridge Fundraiser)
Oct 23 - Toronto, ON - Hugh’s Room
Oct 25 - Sarnia, ON - Private Concert
Oct 26 - Belfountain, ON - Higher Ground
Oct 27 - Sudbury, ON - St. Andrew’s Place
Oct 29 - Erin, ON - Private Barn Concert
Oct 30 - Oakville, ON - Moonshine Cafe
Oct 31 - Cobourg, ON - The Loft
Nov 1 - Montreal, QC - Casa Del Popolo
Nov 2 - Ottawa, ON - National Arts Centre

FOLLOW JOHN WORT HANNAM:
Website | iTunes | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube

MEDIA TOOLS
WATCH/POST John Wort Hannam's 'Acres of Elbow Room' video HERE
CLICK HERE for high-res photos, tour graphics + album art (photo credit: David Guenther)

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