Calgary Instrumental Pop Duo Ginger Beef Release New Single + Video HOCUS POCUS

1st SINGLE FROM DEBUT ALBUM
OUT ON OCTOBER 27th

WATCH/SHARE VIDEO HERE

Calgary instrumental pop duo Ginger Beef transmit fun chaotic energy with their new single and video 'Hocus Pocus' out now on all digital streaming platforms. Listen here.

The lead single from their self-titled debut album set for release on October 27th, ‘Hocus Pocus’ is Ginger Beef’s take on 1971 track from Dutch rock band Focus. 

“We chose ‘Hocus Pocus’ as a first single because it’s such a fun introduction to Ginger Beef,” says MSG (aka Warren Tse). “The song is catchy and slightly unhinged. Everyone gets to shine on this track, and Jiajia shreds on both western and Chinese flutes. It’s a taster and if you like it, you‘ll probably wanna eat the rest of the meal!”

Ginger Beef’s origin story begins in 2021 when flutist Jiajia Li was asked to present a music video for the Camp Sled Island event in Calgary. She ended up collaborating with veteran multi-instrumentalist / producer / Calgary Flames organist conveniently living under her roof (sheʼs married to MSG) to cook up ‘Flashback‘, an energetic track seasoned with anachronistic synths, slap bass, and traditional Chinese elements — and no singing. Unexpectedly, this one-off only whet the crowd’s appetite for more, and Ginger Beef was born. 

So how do you resurrect a long-extinct genre like instrumental pop in 2023? Ginger Beefʼs answer is to splice together DNA from other genres. “Weʼre unabashedly pop, but being jazz adjacent gives us access to a much broader palette,” says MSG and cites acts like The Police and Steely Dan as examples of jazzers who slummed their way to mainstream success.  

While MSG brings rock and jazz-adjacent sensibilities to the table, Li virtuosically fronts the project with breathtaking musical athleticism and beauty, courtesy of her extensive classical training (she has a master's degree in flute performance), and digs deep into memories of growing up with musical parents in Beijing. The result of this musical partnership is instrumental music that refuses to fade into the background.

‘Hocus Pocus’ is available now on Spotify, Apple Music/iTunes, and other digital retailers and streaming services worldwide. For more information, please visit gingerbeefband.com.

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Vancouver Latin Fusion Group Los Duendes Release New Single COLESLAW

1st SINGLE FROM DEBUT ALBUM
OUT ON NOVEMBER 24th

STREAM/SHARE HERE

Los Duendes · Los Duendes Coleslaw AriasMaster V3B

Vancouver psych Latin fusion group Los Duendes are pleased to announce the release of their new single 'Coleslaw' out now on all digital streaming platforms. Listen here.

'Coleslaw' is the lead single from Los Duendes' debut album Me Recuerdas, which is set for release on November 24th. It's a vibrant, upbeat track that showcases the band's masterful musicianship and is the perfect example of the way they combine different influences to create original and captivating music.

"This song was originally born out of a rhythm based on 16th notes grouped in 19," says guitarist Seb Chamney. "Once the rhythm was mastered by the band, the other sections of the song were composed based on melodies characteristic of classic 1960s Chilean Cumbia." 

Vocalist Sangito Bigelow adds: "Seb showed up one day with this odd meter rhythm played by the bass and guitar as a unison melody travelling in opposite directions. This compositional device was cleverly designed to build tension, bringing the song to its inevitable boiling point. And then Seb, live in studio and in one single clinical take, delivers a spectacular guitar solo to the bewilderment of everyone in the room. This vocal hook had come to me while driving home one day, and over the instrumental it’s almost sinister sounding, calling out to grab your hat and come work in the fields as Toto Berriel sings folkloric improvised pregónes. The song as a whole is frankly just nasty, like chopped cabbage slathered in mayonnaise."

'Coleslaw' is available now on Spotify, Apple Music/iTunes, and other digital retailers and streaming services worldwide. For more information, please visit losduendesmusic.com.

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LOS DUENDES IS:
Sangito Bigelow - Vocals, Percussion, Guitar
Seb Chamney - Electric Guitar
Lily Towers - Vocals, Auxiliary Percussion
Alan Ruiz - Electric Bass
Max Huberdeau - Drums

FEATURED MUSICIANS ON 'COLESLAW':
Adrian Espin Samperio - Tres Cubano
Toto Berriel - Vocals, Shekere
Colin Sankey - Bass
Chris Couto - Timbales
Jocelyn Waugh - Trumpet
Gordy Li - Saxophone


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MEDIA TOOLS:
STREAM/POST 'Coleslaw' HERE (via SoundCloud)
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Calgary Musician Arturo Marc Releases New Single NUESTRO UNIVERSO

LEAD SINGLE FROM DEBUT EP
OUT ON OCTOBER 20th

STREAM/SHARE HERE

Arturo Marc · Nuestro Universo Ft Hector Molina

Calgary musician Arturo Marc gets romantic with his new single 'Nuestro Universo' out now on all digital streaming platforms. Listen here.

The 1st single from Arturo's debut EP LUZ set for release on October 20th, 'Nuestro Universo' was produced by Juno Award Nominee Luis "El Pana" Tovar and features Venezuelan musician and Latin Grammy Award Winner Hector Molina. The track is a refreshing, chill Spanish tune that would blend perfectly with Latin Pop classics and tropical romantic songs from artists like Alex Cuba and Vicente Garcia.

"'Nuestro Universo' is a song about the power and beauty of simplicity," says Arturo. "I wrote for my life partner María at the beginning of the pandemic, when the world seemed to be crumbling, to remind us to appreciate the small things. I believe when we start being grateful for the smallest details in life, we start to love ourself and others easier and we find ourselves in harmony with the universe. I was inspired by our resiliency as a couple during tough times."

Arturo is a Venezuelan-Canadian composer, and singer-songwriter known for his unique blend of Venezuelan folk music and Caribbean genres like reggae and ska. Born in Caracas, he moved to Alberta in his teenage years and quickly became part of the Venezuelan community and Latin music scene in Calgary. After years of being the front lead of UnoBand reggae group and performing with ensembles dedicated to Latin cultural diffusion, Arturo finished his music degree at the University of Lethbridge and launched his solo career in 2023 with the announcement of the release of his debut EP LUZ on October 20th.

'Nuestro Universo' is available now on Spotify, Apple Music/iTunes, and other digital retailers and streaming services worldwide. For more information, please visit arturomarc.com.

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FOLLOW ARTURO MARC:
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MEDIA TOOLS:
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Award-Winning Canadian Folk Icon Connie Kaldor Announces Release Of New Album KEEP GOING

HER 18th STUDIO ALBUM IS SET
FOR RELEASE ON OCTOBER 20th

1st SINGLE + TITLE TRACK OUT NOW
STREAM/SHARE HERE

Connie Kaldor · Keep Going

Canadian singer-songwriter, entertainer, TV personality, and women’s music pioneer Connie Kaldor is celebrating 45 years in show business with her 18th studio recording Keep Going, set to be released on October 20th. The album's first single and title track is out now on all digital streaming platforms. Listen here.

On lead single 'Keep Going', Connie gives us a post pandemic anthem with a rhythm that won't give up, so we won't either. It's full of wisdom learned from a life on the road—when you’ve toured as many miles as she has, the things that keep you going are the people that you meet, the songs that connect and sometimes, just putting one foot after the other.

“It takes perseverance to get to this many years as an independent musician,” says Connie. “This track has the drive to keep you going, perhaps through jobs that are repetitive, under appreciated, often poorly paid but necessary: ‘You need a buck and you’ve got a dime.'”

Connie began her career in music as part of the Canadian folk music wave, alongside artists like Stan Rogers and Valdy. Armed with her enormous stage presence, her unforgettable melodies, and her emotional depth as a songwriter, she became a headline act on the festival circuit. Her extensive touring has earned her a loyal fan-base that extends far beyond the traditional boundaries of folk and the Boston Globe has described her as “a masterful performer, wildly funny one moment, deeply personal the next.” A three-time Juno Award winner, Connie is a member of the Order of Canada, a Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal recipient, holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Regina, and is the first songwriter to receive a Western Literature Association Award of Merit. 

‘Keep Going’ is available now on Spotify, Apple Music/iTunes, and other digital retailers and streaming services worldwide. Connie will play Canadian tour dates to support Keep Going, starting on October 7th in Picton, Ontario. See below for the full tour schedule. For more information, please visit conniekaldor.com.

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CONNIE KALDOR UPCOMING 2023 TOUR DATES
Oct 7th - Picton, ON - The Sergeants Mess Hall
Oct 26th - Spruce Grove, AB - Horizon Stage
Oct 27th - Red Deer, AB - Red Deer Lake Church (On The Edge Concert Series)
Oct 28th - Calgary, AB - Ironwood Stage & Grill
Oct 30th - Vernon, BC - Vernon Jazz Club
Nov 1st - Courtenay, BC - The Old Church Theatre
Nov 2nd - Duncan, BC - Duncan Showroom
Nov 3rd - Vancouver, BC - Rogue Folk Club
Nov 4th - Victoria, BC - St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church
Nov 6th - Penticton, BC - Dream Cafe
Nov 10th - Regina, SK - Darke Hall
Nov 11th - Saskatoon, SK - Grosvenor Park United Church
Nov 12th - Winnipeg, MB - West End Cultural Centre 

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MEDIA TOOLS:
STREAM/SHARE 'Keep Going'  HERE (via SoundCloud)
WATCH/SHARE 'Keep Going' Live Performance Video HERE (via YouTube)
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Vancouver Musician Colleen Rennison's New Album PERSEPHONE Out Now!

Download High-Res Photos | Photo Credit: Sasha Galyanova

STREAM/SHARE TITLE TRACK HERE

Vancouver musician Colleen Rennison searches for light in the darkness on her debut solo album Persephone out now on all digital streaming platforms. Listen here.

 Produced by Felix Fung, who was tapped for his savant ability to conjure the vintage feel Colleen wanted, the duo’s own handpicked Wrecking Crew—including guitarist Stephen Fischer, bassist Max Sample, keyboardist Alexander Ward and drummer Shawn Mrazek—turned in a record that harkens back to the luxurious, cinematic work of showbiz queens like Bobby Gentry, Dusty Springfield, Linda Ronstadt, and Bonnie Raitt. It’s a fully formed, two-sided album of country, soul, and pop, hitting all the necessary points between Memphis, Muscle Shoals, and Motown.

"Persephone is an album that came out of necessity, and is a culmination of my years of working as a singer/songwriter," says Colleen. "I finally managed to get most of it down after barreling violently through this thing called life. It's filled with the sounds that have been the tapestry of my life, bleeding Disney and disco, gospel and country, Motown and Mariah through its threadbare seams." 

The song 'Persephone' has been slotted as the 3rd single, following the release of 'I Do' back in June. The title track is pure thrills, speeding along like a dissolute partygoer hitching a ride with the Spencer Davis Group, but it’s also loaded with meaning.

"'Persephone' is an ode to my motorcycle, which is named after the Greek Goddess Persephone," says Colleen. "It started as a joke, cause my bike is so old and beat up, and Persephone is such a pretty name, but after I started looking into the story of Persephone, I found a lot of parallels to my own life and an ancient archetype in the journey of falling in love with the dark side despite the purest intentions."  

Colleen burst onto the music scene in 2011 with blues-rock group No Sinner. The band made immediate waves with music critics comparing her to blues belters like Janis Joplin and Maggie Bell, but Colleen is entirely her own invention. Her voice is technically astounding, but the experience behind it inhabits every note. She entered the film industry at the age of five and that rootless existence as a child actor is still there in her undying commitment to the performance—nobody is more explosively honest or vulnerable onstage—and also in the demons that animate her.

No Sinner achieved enormous success abroad before hitting the wall, painfully, in 2016. Attempts to generate a new career in New York and Austin left the singer in a new kind of limbo, while the bad and dangerous situations persisted. Exiling herself to Vancouver Island only deepened the crisis. Back in Vancouver she was spat out into the Downtown Eastside, where things might have gotten worse—but didn’t. Miraculously, Colleen found the help she needed. She found the right friends, the right kind of support, the internal discipline, and, finally, the creative partner she always deserved. Persephone will stand as the truest expression of her art and her first true masterpiece. 

Persephone is available now on Spotify, Apple Music/iTunes, and other digital retailers and streaming services worldwide. For more information, please visit colleenrennison.ca.

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