The 13th Annual Music Therapy Ride Raises Over $85,000!

For Immediate Release: September 23, 2014

(Vancouver, BC) - The Music Therapy Ride Committee is pleased to announce that the 13th annual Music Therapy Ride raised over $85,000 - the highest amount raised to date! The 2014 Music Therapy Ride took place on Saturday, September 13th with over 100 riders joining in the police escorted ride from Vancouver to Whistler.

The success of the 2014 Music Therapy Ride comes as a result of thirteen years of dedication, support and generosity.  Since the first ride back in 2001, the Music Therapy Ride has raised close to $800,000 for the Canadian Music Therapy Trust Fund.

"We’ve had a fantastic year. We set a new record for money raised, number of riders, number of Bandwagon visits and the number of hours music therapists were in the field. We’ll have four Bandwagons operational by this time next year. Thanks to all our generous sponsors, riders and the Vancouver Police Motorcycle Drill Team." - Shaw Saltzberg & Patrick Zulinov, Co-chairmen Music Therapy Ride

The money raised from the Music Therapy Ride is used to support the building, maintenance and continued use of mobile recording studios designed specifically for music therapists called Bandwagons. These mobile studios contain recording software, sound processing equipment and a variety of musical instruments.The Music Therapy Ride has funded the creation of 2 Bandwagons thus far. Bandwagon 1 arrived at its permanent residence, the BC Children's Hospital, in July 2011. Created in 2012, Bandwagon 2 provides music therapy programs in the lower mainland of British Columbia, traveling to various institutions for six-week residencies. The funds from this year’s Music Therapy Ride will be used to build Bandwagon 3 and provide continuing financial support for Music Therapists’ services.

The Music Therapy Ride Committee would like to thank The Vancouver Police Motorcycle Drill Team for thirteen years of incredible support. The committee would also like to thank The Road Hammers, The Lion, The Bear and The Fox, The Great Canadian Casino/Hard Rock Casino Vancouver, Garibaldi Lift Co, the local music industry, extensive media partners and the motorcycle community.

For more information on the Music Therapy Ride or to make a donation to the Canadian Music Therapy Trust Fund: http://www.musictherapyride.org.

Click here for 2014 Music Therapy Ride photos  (Photo Credit: Ron Sombilon)

Tasman Jude Set To Release Their Debut Full-Length Album 'Green' on October 7th

CANADIAN TOUR DATES STARTING ON SEPTEMBER 27th

Listen to new track 'Every Breath':

For Immediate Release: September 11, 2014

(Vancouver, BC) -  The Canadian reggae infiltration has begun! And Alberta reggae band Tasman Jude are setting the course with the release of their much anticipated debut full-length album 'Green' on October 7th. The band will also be hitting the road in support of the album with a Cross-Canada Tour starting on September 27th. See below for a full listing of tour dates.

 Tasman Jude's new album 'Green' is the first in a series of 3 planned concept albums for the band. The 3 album 'Green, Gold, Red' package is meant to encompass the diversity of reggae music with each album taking on a different form of the genre. The first album 'Green' takes on the rootsy, earthy side of reggae. The 2nd album 'Gold' will have a bit more island pop, and the 3rd album 'Red' will be a little more ska/aggresive. These 3 combined albums will provide Tasman Jude's full take on reggae - going back to roots of reggae music which teaches of God, peace, love, joy, truth, freedom, justice, unity and serenity.

Watch Lyric Video for 'Every Breath' 

 The town of Grande Prairie, Alberta, may seem like the last place you'd find a killer reggae band but that's exactly where Tasman Jude was formed. The band officially started when Al Peterson & Caleb “BraveHart” Hart decided on a whim to climb on stage together back in January 2013. After only 3 improvised songs, they were surrounded by a crowd of people asking where their music could be found and so Tasman Jude (now including Adam Paananen and Derek Wilder) was established.

Less than 3 months after their serendipitous first performance, Tasman Jude released their debut EP 'El Norteño' which quickly rose to #2 on the Canadian iTunes reggae chart. The lead single'Take You Away' won a music video grant from Public Records and continued to win them a larger audience both at home and internationally. Soon after, the band recorded another single 'Family', with Earl Pereira (Wide Mouth Mason & The Steadies). The song received lots of radio airplay and the theme of “Family” truly came to define Tasman Jude. Both in the band and within their community, there is an understanding that love is truly what matters in this world and it is what binds us all.

“We don’t have fans, we have family members,” says lead vocalist Caleb Hart.  “ These people support us, love us and we hope to give them something more than music back."

 After Tasman Jude finishes their Canadian Tour in November they plan to keep the momentum going with tours in Australia and the Caribbean (Caleb Hart is originally from Trinidad-Tobago). The band is also giving back with this album. $1 from every 'Green' record sold will be given to Tree Canada which will equal one tree planted for every 4 albums.

Tasman Jude's debut full-length album 'Green' will be available on iTunes and all other digital retailers on October 7th, 2014. Look for the band on their Cross-Canada Tour starting on September 27th. More dates to be announced soon, please visit tasmanjude.com for the most up-to-date tour listings.

 TASMAN JUDE - 'GREEN'  TRACK LISTING RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 7, 2014 (Independent) 1.  Intro 2.  Green (Zion) 3.  Yahweh 4.  Fugue State 5.  Tasman Jude 6.  Follow Your Dreams 7.  Every Breath 8.  Freedom Is Rising (w/ Elijah Ray) 9.  All We Need (One Love)

TASMAN JUDE UPCOMING CANADIAN TOUR DATES: September 27 – Grande Prairie, AB – Showcase Centre October 1 – Saskatoon, SK – Rock Bottom October 7 - North Bay, ON - Capitol Centre October 10 - Toronto, ON - 3030 Club October 16 - Sault Ste. Marie, ON - Lop Lop's October 17 – Thunder Bay, ON – The Foundry October 18 – Winnipeg, MB – TBA October 24 – Lloydminster, SK – The Root October 25 - Edmonton, AB - Studio Music Foundation October 29 - Breton, AB - Breton Faith Covenant October 30 – Calgary, AB – Ironwood October 31 – Vernon, BC – The Paddle Wheel November 1 - Saanich, BC - Mcrea's Bistro November 2 - Qualicum Beach, BC - CFC Church November 4 - Victoria, BC - Copper Owl November 6 – Duncan, BC  – The New Duncan Showroom November 8 - Revelstoke, AB - The Last Drop November 12 - Lethbridge, AB - The Acoustic Owl November 13 – Jasper, AB – De’d Dog November 14 - Red Deer, AB – Fratter’s November 15 - Olds, AB - Traxx

 FOR MORE INFO: www.tasmanjude.com facebook.com/tasmanjude twitter.com/tasmanjude

WiL Set To Release 5th Studio Album 'El Paseo' on September 30th

Western Canadian Tour Dates Starting On September 20th

For Immediate Release: August 26, 2014

(Vancouver, BC) - Vancouver Island-based singer-songwriter WiL is set to release his 5th studio album 'El Paseo' on September 30th through Cordova Bay Records.

 In support of the new album, the lead single, ‘Make Make', is available for free digital download via WiL’s official mobile app for a limited time. WiL’s app was developed through Volu.me, a Toronto-based company specializing in mobile apps for bands. Volu.me works with numerous artists including City and Colour, Tegan and Sara, The Sheepdogs, Hedley, and Wintersleep.  Fans can download WiL’s free app from Volu.me/WiL for access to free-giveaways, album news and tour information, including WiL's upcoming Western Canadian Tour dates starting on September 20th.

 Listen to WiL -  'Make Make':

When it came time to record his 5th studio album, roots-rocker Wil Mimnaugh (WiL) had several songs at the ready, including 'Roam' which featured in the flagship video for Travel Alberta’s award-winning campaign,‘Remember to Breathe’ with over 3 million YouTube views. With a desire to produce the album himself, WiL enlisted the aide of studio engineer, multi-instrumentalist and owner of Poplar Sound Studio, Jayme Langen. They recorded the track, 'Hold Me On', in a 3-day recording session that cemented their collective wish to forge ahead.

The only thing left to do was to find the funds to record the rest of the album, which was achieved using a crowd-funding platform called FANPUSH. WiL’s legion of devoted fans met his funding goal in a matter of days, leaving WiL both humbled and inspired to write a few more songs, eventually settling on 11 tracks, all told.

“These songs just came pouring out of me; they are some of the best I feel I have ever written to date and I'm so grateful that I am now able to record these songs and put the best of what we got on the new record,” says WiL. “Was it a labour of love? Yes, absolutely, and I’m proud of the outcome. Like my career there’s no certainty; of fame, of money, of anything really – I’m just in it for the ride (with my gal, of course). It’s bloody scary and thrilling, dark and bright, wondrous and wicked. It's a roller coaster ride. That’s why this album is called 'El Paseo' – it means ‘The Ride’ in Spanish.”

Whether it’s speaking to WiL’s masterful, passionate, string-breaking live performance, his music career or the songs themselves, all are guaranteed to deliver one hell of a ride. 'El Paseo' will be released on September 30, 2014 through Cordova Bay Records with Western Canadian Tour Dates starting on September 20th. The full tour schedule is listed below.  Please visit: ibreakstrings.com or download the mobile app via Volu.me/WiL for the most up-to-date tour listings.

 WiL - 'EL PASEO' TRACK LISTING RELEASE DATE: SEPTEMBER 30th, 2014 (Cordova Bay/Fontana North) 1. Hold Me On 2. El Paseo 3. You Know I Do 4. There Is 5. A Whoo Hoo 6. Make Make 7. Morning Sun 8. Look Around 9. Summer Song 10. Brother 11. Roam

WiL WESTERN CANADIAN TOUR DATES September 20 - Errington, BC @ Errington Hall (CD Release Concert) September 26 - Nanaimo, BC @ Port Theatre (opening for Burton Cummings) October 2 - Kamloops, BC @ On The Rocks Pub & Grill October 3 - Cochrane, AB @ Legacy Guitar & Coffee October 4 - Canmore, AB @ Mount Engadine Lodge October 6 - Calgary, AB @ Ironwood Stage & Grill October 7 - Calgary, AB @ Ironwood Stage & Grill October 9 - Edmonton, AB @ The Artery October 10 - Saskatoon, SK @ Village Guitar & Amp Co. October 11 - Red Deer, AB @ The Vat October 12 – Canmore, AB @ The Drake October 15 - Kelowna, BC @ Minstrel Cafe October 16 - Vancouver, BC @ Fan Club October 17 - Chilliwack, BC @ Bozzini's October 18 - Victoria, BC @ Lucky Bar October 25 - Cumberland, BC @ The Waverly

FOR MORE INFO: www.ibreakstrings.com

Rodney Decroo's Allegheny, BC at Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival

For Immediate Release: July 17, 2014

 (Vancouver, BC) - Rodney DeCroo is bringing his critically acclaimed show Allegheny, BC (Stupid Boy in an Ugly Town) to the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival for 10 shows at the Sugar Foot Ballroom (10545-81st Avenue) starting on Friday, August 15th. Allegheny, BC (Stupid Boy in an Ugly Town) is a one-man show based both on DeCroo's book of poems of the same name and his album Allegheny. The show has DeCroo, via poems, songs and monologues, recalling his childhood in a small coal town near Western Pennsylvania's Allegheny River, and his coming of age struggles in the radically different world of Vancouver, BC, in the mid-1980s.

DeCroo released his 5th album, Allegheny, in early 2012 and it was a bit of a departure from his previous alt-country tinged records. It's a spoken word album drenched in electric atmosphere that returned the artist to his first love, poetry, while transporting the listener to a childhood as grimy as the corrupt Pennsylvanian river of the title. Yet, despite the stories of a blighted childhood in a small coal town just outside industrial Pittsburgh, Allegheny transcended to a defiant beauty that resonated with both critics and audiences. Allegheny was included in the year end top 10 lists of not one but two senior critics at the Georgia Straight and collected high regard from print and online publications such as The Vancouver Sun, The Province, Exclaim Magazine, Art Threat, The Tyee and many others. DeCroo followed this feat with another, publishing a haunting collection of 42 poems through Nightwood Editions called Allegheny, BC tackling the same subject matter.

In 2013, collaborating with double bassist/composer Mark Haney and director Jane Heyman, DeCroo expanded and launched Allegheny, BC (Stupid Boy in an Ugly Town) with a hybrid of poems, songs, and monologues at Vancouver’s Little Mountain Gallery. Haney and DeCroo next took the project across the prairies, work-shopping the show in clubs, galleries, bookstores and most recently, at the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival, Vancouver Fringe Festival and Vancouver International Writers Festival. Along the way, Allegheny, BC (Stupid Boy in an Ugly Town) has been met with the same acclaim and stunned silences—touching everyone from punks, old cowboys, literary and theatre types, and everyone in between.

Look for Rodney DeCroo in Edmonton for 10 performances of Allegheny, BC (Stupid Boy in an Ugly Town) at the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival. For ticket info and more information, please visit: www.rodneydecroo.com

Allegheny, BC @ Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival All Shows @ Sugar Foot Ballroom (10545-81st Avenue) Friday, August 15 - 9:15 PM Saturday, August 16 - 4:00 PM Sunday, August 17 - 5:00 PM Monday, August 18 - 9:15 PM Tuesday, August 19 - 7:30 PM Wednesday, August 20 - 9:15 PM Thursday, August 21 - 4:00 PM Friday, August 22 - 7:00 PM Saturday, August 23  - 5:00 PM Sunday, August 24 - 5:00 PM

For More Info: www.rodneydecroo.com

# # #

PRAISE FOR ALLEGHENY, BC (STUPID BOY IN AN UGLY TOWN):

"You will be asked to hold your applause for Allegheny, BC until the end of the performance. And when that performance is over, you will have been moved to tears, amazed that something so painful could be made into an experience so profoundly uplifting. The Allegheny that snakes through the coal town of Harmarville is a “filthy river”, but from it has come something so beautiful and pure that the trauma might have been, on some abstract level, almost worth it. Almost." - Mike Usinger / Georgia Straight

"Brutally honest and beautifully observed. 4 out of 5 stars!" - Erica Thorkelson / Vancouver Sun       

 "DeCroo is a powerful and intense performer with impressive stage presence, and his life so far, recalled - even re-lived - seriously is well worth our attention." - Malcolm Page / Plank Magazine

MEDIA TOOLS: WATCH footage of Allegheny, BC (Stupid Boy in an Ugly Town) performance here STREAM Rodney DeCroo's - 'Allegheny' album here CLICK here for high-res - 'Allegheny' album art CLICK here and here for a high-res Rodney Decroo press photos.

Mike Edel Releases Video For Brand New Track 'The Closer'

Watch The Video For 'The Closer' 

For Immediate Release: July 3, 2014

(Vancouver, BC) - Alberta-raised/Victoria-based musician Mike Edel released his brand new song 'The Closer' last week and today he is excited to announce the release of the incredible animated video. The video is a collaboration between Mike Edel, Jorge R. Canedo Estrada, Henrique Barone, Thanat Sattavor, Cesar Martinez and Breno Licursi and was made possible through funding from Public Records and Telus.

'The Closer' is a song about baseball which is something that Edel knows plenty about from his summers growing up on the prairies.

"It’s a story about a pitcher in a small town, a lot like the one I grew up in, who is pitching a perfect game into the 9th inning," explains Edel. "But his mom runs onto the mound and tells him that he needs to leave the game because his dad has had a farming accident. So the coach brings in the closer with a 2-0 lead in the 9th inning.  He gives up a walk.  Then a single.  Then a home-run.  They lose the game 3-2 in the 9th. I think that sometimes we think that these small moments in small towns don’t matter, but the truth is that they do." Click here to read Mike Edel's full essay on 'The Closer.'

Mike Edel released his debut album "The Last of Our Mountains" in 2011 and quickly became one of Victoria’s most sought after musicians, performing alongside the likes of Serena Ryder, Chad Van Gaalen and the Cave Singers. And plenty of great things have happened since the release of the album: Edel was a 5th place $5000 seed in the 2012 Peak Performance Project, The Victoria Times Colonist named his song 'The Country Where I Came From' as their Single of the Year (2012), CBC Radio 1 recorded and released one of his live shows and he won Rawlco Radio’s 10K20 grant. He's also appeared at the Rifflandia Festival, Victoria International Jazz Festival and Tall Tree Festival, interspersed between nearly nonstop touring across Canada and the United States.

At the beginning of 2014 Edel went into hiding, delivering a new catalogue of songs to Grammy winning producer Joby Baker, constructing his sophomore release in Baker’s Victoria studio. It’s a follow-up that Edel promises to be his best work to date. The new album (which includes the track 'The Closer') will be released later this year. For more info, please visit: www.mikeedel.com

“In the last two years that Mike Edel has been in Victoria he has established himself as one of the region’s go-to musicians”  - Victoria Times-Colonist

 “If the Polaris Prize wasn’t enough proof that this country is teeming with talent, then meet Mike Edel.” - MuchMusic.com

MEDIA TOOLS WATCH/POST Mike Edel's 'The Closer' video here (YouTube link) STREAM/POST the Mike Edel track - 'The Closer' here (SoundCloud link) CLICK here for high-res 'The Closer' album art. CLICK here for a high-res press photo.

 FOR MORE INFO: www.mikeedel.com