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

Vancouver's Westsonic Music Releases Brand New Single From Mary Zilba - Are You Sorry Now

WATCH 'Are You Sorry Now' Lyric Video

For Immediate Release: June 26, 2014

(Vancouver, BC) - Vancouver based record label and music production company, Westsonic Music, is pleased to announce the release of Mary Zilba's new single - 'Are You Sorry Now'. The track is the first release for Westsonic Music and is the lead single from a forthcoming Mary Zilba EP to be released later this year.

Mary Zilba wears many hats with style and grace. A writer, producer, recording artist, star of The Real Housewives of Vancouver, and founder of Buff Beauty cosmetics, Mary is also a tireless philanthropist. Whatever Mary does, she brings her creativity, enthusiasm, determination and commitment to the table. As a recording artist she has a solid discography, working with some of the music industry’s elite, including Diane Warren and Grammy award-winning producer (and Westsonic principal) Ian Prince. Their collaborations produced three albums with seven Top 40 hits, which lead the charts on MuchMusic and MuchMoreMusic. Mary Zilba was propelled back into the music spotlight in late 2013 after the release of the single 'Hero'. The track received plenty of radio airplay and both the video and song climbed to #1 on the UK iTunes Chart.

Mary Zilba's new single 'Are You Sorry Now' is the perfect summer track and is made for blasting from the car with windows rolled down while singing along with your friends. The song, written by Frank Giustra with music by Dave Corman, deals with the subject of infidelity and love gone wrong which is pretty popular subject matter when it comes to pop songs. But that's what drew Mary Zilba to the song, the universal nature of the lyrics.

"Everyone has gone through heartbreak," explains Mary. "And unfortunately, I am no stranger to having my heart broken due to infidelity, but this song takes us on a journey from pain to finding the strength to move on.  So many of us can relate to that feeling of 'I can’t live without that person' to 'what was I thinking, I’m so over him/her!'"

Westsonic Music is a music production company and record label based in Vancouver, BC. Their staff includes Grammy Award-winning producer and songwriter Ian Prince, producer and songwriter Dave Corman, music lawyer and business specialist Bob D’Eith and Liongate's own Frank Giustra -- songwriter, business leader, and philanthropist. A diverse team with backgrounds in all things music, Prince, Corman, D'Eith, and Giustra have built a brilliant team devoted to the development of talented artists and the crafting of hit songs. 'Are You Sorry Now' is the first release for Westsonic Music. Stay tuned for more releases to come in 2014, including a full EP from Mary Zilba later this year. For more information, please visit: westsonicmusic.com

WWW.MARYZILBA.COM WWW.WESTSONICMUSIC.COM

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MEDIA TOOLS WATCH/POST Mary Zilba 'Are You Sorry Now' LYRIC VIDEO here STREAM/POST Mary Zilba - 'Are You Sorry Now' here (includes posting/embedding info, just click on 'Share') CLICK here for high-res - 'Are You Sorry Now' single album art. (Photo Credit: Mario Miotti) CLICK here for a high-res Mary Zilba press photos.

The 13th Annual Music Therapy Ride Hits The Highway on September 13th!

The Road Hammers Join Ride as Celebrity Guest!Riders Registered Before August 1st Receive an Early Bird Rate of $99

For Immediate Release:

Vancouver, BC - The 13th Annual Music Therapy Ride is set to hit the highway on Saturday, September 13th, 2014. This year the ride will once again be rolling down the Sea-To-Sky highway, beginning at The Hard Rock Casino in Coquitlam and ending at the Garibaldi Lift Co. in Whistler. For the 13th year in succession, the Vancouver Motorcycle Police Drill Team will provide a presidential escort for the entire journey.

Established by members of the Vancouver music industry in 2002 with representatives from booking agencies, radio stations, record labels, talent managers, concert promoters and recording artists, the Music Therapy Ride is a charity ride designed to raise funds for community-based music therapy services in British Columbia. Proceeds are administered by the Music Therapy Association of British Columbia, awarding grants to deserving music therapists and care facilities.

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.  Bandwagon 2 recently made the trip to Vancouver Island for the first time. 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.

As a result of twelve years of dedication, support and generosity, the Music Therapy Ride has raised over $600,000 for the Provincial and National Music Therapy Trust Fund. Recipients of funds raised from the Music Therapy Ride have included: Canuck Place, BC Cancer Agency,Vancouver Oral Centre for Deaf Children, Camp Moomba, Brookhaven Extended Care Facility, George Pearson Centre, BC Women’s Hospital, the Society for Disability Arts and Culture and many more.

Joining the ride this year as the celebrity guest is Canadian country music group The Road Hammers. The Road Hammers are proud to be a part of the 2014 Music Therapy Ride: "Over the years we’ve experienced the power of music change people’s lives in so many ways. We know that for some people, music provides one of the few effective options for treatment of physical rehab, mood disorders, pain control and deficient social skills. We’re excited to join the ride, sing a few songs and have a wonderful day with friends and fans in beautiful BC.  Make sure to join us on Sept 13."

Reservations can be made at: musictherapyride.org. Early bird tickets are $99 until August 1st and include breakfast, bar-b-que lunch in Whistler, live auction, custom t-shirts and more.

MEDIA CONTACT: Jen Fritz | Fritz Media Phone: 604-626-7045 Email: jen at fritzmedia.ca

102.7 The PEAK and Music BC Announce the Top 12 PEAK Performance Project Artists for BC

For Immediate Release:June 11, 2014

(Vancouver, BC)- Today at 8pm PST, the Top 12 PEAK Performance Artists were announced live on air at 102.7 The PEAK from a bustling Fortune Sound Club. The chosen artists will be joining the Alberta PEAK Performance Project Top 12 at the coveted PEAK Performance Project bootcamp in Princeton, British Columbia later this summer.

The BC Top 12 artists in no particular order are:

• The Tourist Company - North Vancouver
• David Newberry - Vancouver
• Miss Quincy and the Showdown - Fort St John
• Derrival - Langley
• Altered By Mom - Vancouver
• The Wild Romantics - Nanaimo
• Damn Fools - Vancouver
• Jodi Pederson - Vernon
• Goodwood Atoms - Vancouver
• Shred Kelly - Fernie
• Jon Bryant - Surrey
• Good For Grapes - Surrey 

The BC Top 12 will be performing live at the 4^th annual Khatsahlano Street Party Saturday July 12^th. Links to free downloads of the artist’s songs will be available on site.

The Alberta Top 12 artists will be announced on Saturday, June 21^st at 3:15pm in Olympic Plaza as part of Sled Island.

The PEAK Performance Project is designed to educate, promote, develop and launch the careers of some of BC and Alberta’s up and coming artists. It also hopes to foster the BC and Alberta music industries and create a sense of community amongst artists and music professionals. While the projects are run as separate programs in each province, there is an incredible opportunity to create bridges between BC and Alberta though the shared educational experience at the Rockridge Canyon Bootcamp. Top Prizes this year for the BC Project include a 102.7 thousand dollar top prize, $75,000 second prize, $50,000 third prize, as well as a $5,000 base camp award given to each Top 12 band to help them with their career development.

The BC PEAK Performance Project, sponsored by Cariboo Brewing, is in year six of a seven-year, $5.29 million program designed to kick-start the international music careers of 3 emerging BC artists annually. The project is administered by Music BC Industry Association and funded by 102.7 The PEAK through CRTC approved Canadian Content Development Funding.  Past winners have included We Are the City, Kyprios, Current Swell, Dear Rouge and Rykka.

For more information on The PEAK Performance Project, visit:  www.peakperformanceproject.com

For more information on Music BC, visit:  www.musicbc.org

For more information on Khatsahlano Street Party visit : www.khatsahlano.com

For interviews and other media enquiries, please contact: Jen Fritz - Fritz Media Phone: 604-626-7045 Email: jen at fritzmedia.ca

Five Alarm Funk To Release 5th Album 'Abandon Earth' on June 10th

Album Release Show At Commodore Ballroom On June 7thSummer Tour Dates Starting on June 21st

For Immediate Release:

(Vancouver, BC) - Vancouver party funk band Five Alarm Funk are set to release'Abandon Earth', the band’s fifth studio album, on Tuesday, June 10th and will celebrate with an Album Release Party at The Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver on June 7th. The concept album, describing the destruction of planet Earth by a giant robot, is the culmination of 10 years of relentless touring and the 10 musicians’ love for high octane, delirium-inducing dance music. And Five Alarm Funk plan to keep it going! They'll spend Summer 2014 touring Canada coast to coast and playing a number of shows in the United States in support of'Abandon Earth'.For a full listing of summer tour dates, see below.

'Abandon Earth' was recorded at the Farm Studios in Vancouver, BC. The album was produced by Ben Kaplan, whose recent credits include fellow Vancouverites Mother Mother and UK superstars Biffy Clyro. On their fifth album, Five Alarm Funk use gruff funk vocals, psychedelic rock guitars, Balkan-inspired horns, intricate arrangements, and a few well-timed explosions to tell the tale of a technological behemoth rising from the center of the Earth and unleashing a torrent of natural disasters and monsters on humanity. Although to some, the idea of doing a concept album may seem daunting, Five Alarm Funk fully embraced the challenge.

 "We wanted to try out a new writing process where it wasn't us all in the rehearsal space kind of jamming stuff out but we had a whole master plan to work with", explains vocalist Tayo Branston. "We wanted to make the music tell a story, to create images in people's heads. Once the whole concept of the album was formed we saw the different parts that we had to write music for. So then, for example, we had to come up with a way to musically represent a robot rising from the center of the Earth, bursting through to the surface, and people being terrified. Those images are what inspired the writing of 'Horrible Sound.'"

Listen to Five Alarm Funk - 'Horrible Sound'

 Five Alarm Funk’s critically acclaimed fourth album, 'Rock the Sky', was released in May 2012 and was nominated for ‘Instrumental Album of the Year’ at the 2013 Juno Awards and ‘Instrumental Recording of the Year’ at the 2013 WCMAs. The band released the video for the 'Abandon Earth' track ' We All Scream' in June 2013 and it quickly became an online hit with over 23K views to date. In November 2013, Five Alarm Funk celebrated its 10-year anniversary as a band with two sold-out shows at The Imperial in Vancouver, BC.

On stage, Five Alarm Funk is an unstoppable orgy of energy. Ten musicians perform intricate and airtight arrangements with delirious dance moves and full-on head banging. Choreographed arm movements coincide with melodic climaxes, while the four percussionists create a true spectacle, not to be missed. This horn powered, percussion fuelled sonic and visual assault has brought their relentless and unforgettable live show to clubs and major festivals across Canada and the United States for over a decade. Touring around in their trusty 15-passenger van numerous times, they have built their fan base from the ground up with over 500 shows under their belt. Some upcoming highlights this summer include stops at the Ottawa Jazz Festival, Saskatoon Jazz Festival, Sunfest in London, Ontario, North Country Fair in Alberta, and Summer Meltdown in Washington State.

Don't miss out on the dance party! Be sure to catch Five Alarm Funk at The Commodore Ballroom on June 7th in Vancouver and on the road across Canada all summer long. Look for Five Alarm Funk's 5th album 'Abandon Earth' on iTunes & all other digital retailers on Tuesday, June 10th. For the most up-to-date tour schedule, please visit: www.fivealarmfunk.com.

FIVE ALARM FUNK - ABANDON EARTH RELEASE DATE: JUNE 10th, 2014 (Independent) 1.  We All Scream 2.  Newscast 1 3.  Journey To The Center Of The Earth 4.  Robot 5.  Horrible Sound 6.  Erupt 7.  Newscast 2 8.  ATTAAACK!! 9.  Higgs Boson 10. Prest-O Chang-O

FIVE ALARM FUNK UPCOMING TOUR DATES June 7 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom June 20 - Kelowna, BC - Sapphire June 21-22 – Driftpile, AB - North Country Fair June 24– Banff, AB - Wild Bill’s June 25 – Calgary, AB  - Dickens Pub June 26 – Edmonton, AB - Pawn Shop June 27 – Ottawa, ON - Ottawa Jazz Fest June 28 – Saskatoon, SK - Sask Jazz Fest June 29 – Saskatoon, SK - Sask Jazz Fest June 30 / July 1 – Winnipeg, MB - The Pyramid July 2 - Thunder Bay, ON - Crock's July 4 – Sarnia, ON - Paddy Flaherty’s July 5-6 – London, ON - SUNFEST July 31 – Revelstoke, BC - The Traverse Aug 1-3 – Penticton, BC - Boonstock

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Five Alarm Funk is: Gabe Boothroyd – Guitar Oliver Gibson – Guitar Neil Towers – Bass Tayo Branston – Drums/Vocals Tom Towers – Congas Carl Julig – Timbales Nimish Parekh – Trombone Dameian Walsh – Tenor Saxophone Kent Wallace – Trumpet

MEDIA TOOLS CLICK here for high-res - 'Abandon Earth'- album art. CLICK here for a high-res press photo. (photo credit: Johnny Liu) STREAM/POST the Five Alarm Funk track 'Horrible Sound' here (includes posting/embedding info, just click on 'Share') WATCH/POST the Five Alarm Funk video 'We All Scream' here

"Thanks to their knack for a heavy, powerful sound with a contagious groove, the guys in Five Alarm Funk have become festival favourites across the country. " - Francois Marchand, Vancouver Sun

FOR MORE INFO: www.fivealarmfunk.com