The Fort Langley Jazz & Arts Festival Announces Date Change and New Title Sponsor

To mark the occasion of International Jazz Day this Friday (April 30th), the Fort Langley Jazz and Arts Festival is announcing its decision to move this year’s festival from July to September 2nd - 5th, due to province-wide COVID-19 restrictions from the Provincial Health Officer. 

The 2021 festival will be a mix of limited capacity, socially distanced live shows and live streamed events. Tickets for select signature events will be available at the end of May, when the festival announces the headlining artists for 2021.

The Fort Langley Jazz and Arts Festival has also announced that Odlum Brown Limited has signed a multi-year agreement as Title Sponsor of the annual summer festival. Going forward, the festival will be known as the Odlum Brown Fort Langley Jazz & Arts Festival.

“Having been involved with the festival as a sponsor since 2019, this partnership will help further develop and support the festival,” said Karen Zukas, co-founder and executive director of the festival.

“It’s another exciting milestone in the growth of our festival,” added Zukas. “The continued support from Odlum Brown Limited demonstrates the strength of our shared commitment to the festival.”

As one of BC’s most respected investment firms, Odlum Brown Limited has been committed to supporting the communities where their clients and team members live and work for almost 100 years.

“We believe that community involvement is a foundation of community growth and it is at the root of our corporate culture,” said Paul Donaldson, Odlum Brown Branch Manager, Director and Portfolio Manager.

“The festival brings the community together to celebrate music and art,” he added. “We wanted to continue to show our support for this iconic and unique festival and are so proud to be the title sponsor.” 

Along with Odlum Brown Limited, the festival also welcomes  returning sponsors Conwest/Vicini Live Urban as presenting sponsor of the Friday Blues Show, and Kane Shannon Weiler as presenting sponsor of the Saturday Jazz Show along with funders from the Government of Canada/Canadian Heritage, SOCAN, BC Arts Council, BC Touring Council, ArtsVest and the Township of Langley.

Look for more exciting announcements about the 2021 festival next month and for more information please visit fortlangleyjazzfest.com.

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ABOUT THE FORT LANGLEY JAZZ & ARTS FESTIVAL:
Established in 2018, the Fort Langley Jazz & Arts Festival is a not-for-profit organization whose mandate is to enrich cultural life in the Fraser Valley by bringing emerging and established jazz acts and visual artists to Fort Langley. The annual festival is typically held over the last weekend of July and draws thousands of residents and visitors to the streets of the community.

The Fort Langley Jazz & Arts Festival is funded by corporate and government supporters, including: the Government of Canada; Province of BC; Township of Langley and corporate sponsors, Odlum Brown Limited, ConWest Group of Companies and Kane Shannon Weiler LLP.

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Edmonton Indie Pop Artist Kaeley Jade Releases New Single + Video

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Edmonton indie pop artist Kaeley Jade is excited to announce the release of her new single 'Painless' out today on all digital platforms. 

Produced by the Juno-nominated team at Velveteen Music, 'Painless', dances through the nuclear fallout of a relationship gone awry. Inspired by artists like Vance Joy and Maggie Rogers, 'Painless' is filled to the brim with shimmering hooks, velvety vocals and groovy riffs. Both cynical and celebratory, the Métis artist disguises a deep emotional rawness in a crisp and vibrant package of indie pop.

“In a lot of ways, 'Painless' is a continuation of the story I had told in my debut single, 'Years Ago'," says Kaeley.  "All of my songs are sparked from my own personal experiences, and in this case, I had more to say on that particular chapter of my life. Where 'Years Ago' looks wistfully into the past at what could have been, 'Painless' is a seer’s look into a dystopian future. I wrote it as a reminder to myself to always trust my instincts, because some things just aren’t worth the pain that comes with pursuing them, as tempting as they might be.”

Also out today is the colourful and creatively shot video for 'Painless'. Kaeley explains: “The pandemic really forced us to get creative with how we shot the video. While I had always envisioned a project that combined my skills as a multidisciplinary artist, figuring out how to achieve that while being forced to work with a lot of limitations proved to be an exciting challenge. We shot the entire video in a mock studio we built in my dad’s shop, and we had a very small crew on set, with my cohort doing most of the helping out.”

Since dropping her debut single in January 2020, Kaeley has been making waves in the Canadian music scene. After a strong community response, 'Years Ago' was added to the regular rotation on 102.3 NOW! in Edmonton and her music has been featured on Spotify editorial playlists including: New Music Friday, New Music Friday Canada and Fresh Finds. Kaeley’s music has also been played on Indigenous radio stations across North America, and her single, 'Highway 16', broke the Indigenous Music Countdown Top 10.

Kaeley Jade's new single ‘Painless’ is available now on Spotify, Apple Music/iTunes, and other digital retailers and streaming services worldwide. For more info, please visit kaeleyjade.com.

FOLLOW KAELEY JADE:
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Vancouver Rapper Neon Empty Releases Powerful New Single RED LIVES DON'T

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Nearly a year in the making, Vancouver rapper Neon Empty's (aka Bryce Lokken) new single 'Red Lives Don't'  is an expression of frustration and disgust with white Canada’s hypocrisy about racial inequality during the summer 2020 - the summer of Black Lives Matter.

On 'Red Lives Don't' the Métis-raised-white rapper explores the disconnect between Canada’s very public responses to events in the US, while ignoring very similar events on its own soil. His subtle use of possessive and outsider language shines a light on his own difficulties and hypocrisy as he navigates racial inequality from a place of perceived privilege.

Neon Empty uses shocking language on 'Red Lives Don't' to get people’s attention in order to highlight a very important problem that we have in Canada - anti-Indigenous racism. He’s uses it to be heard in the same way that Black Lives Matter activists use "Defund The Police”. The same way that Wetʼsuwetʼen land defenders set up rail blockades across Canada in 2020 to shine a national spotlight on the construction of the Coastal GasLink Pipeline on Wetʼsuwetʼen First Nation territory in British Columbia. Sometimes it takes more than pointing out the problem, in order to get people's attention. 

Bryce explains: "In the summer of 2020, it seemed like nearly all Canadians became really excited about ending racism in Canada as a result of George Floyd's murder and the BLM movement. I was one of them - someone who had been asleep at the wheel of white-looking privilege. 

But as the grandson of a residential school survivor who still feels the effects of colonialism and Canada's genocide of my people, I found it hard to believe Canada really cared about racism. It felt like they cared about being seen participating. That opinion was solidified when Rodney Levi was murdered 18 days after George Floyd at the hands of the RCMP. No marches. No petitions. No justice. Nobody cares.

This song is a callout to Canada's hypocrisy. You can't tackle systemic racism in Canada without addressing our deepest-rooted, bloodiest, most vulgar problem: the hatred of Indigenous people and our constant attempt to silence, destroy, and minimize those who look like my grandmother.

Where is Rodney Levi's rally, Canada?"

Neon Empty's new single ‘Red Lives Don't’ is available now on Spotify, Apple Music/iTunes, and other digital retailers and streaming services worldwide. For more info, please visit neonempty.com

FOLLOW NEON EMPTY:
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Toronto Musician Alex Beraldo Releases New Single + Video SOUTHERN HEAT

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It was exactly a year ago today that Toronto musician and guitar builder Alex Beraldo released his new album Freaktone Sessions to exactly zero fanfare, since it was right at the beginning of the COVID pandemic. This isn’t a story that is unique to Alex, in fact, it’s a story that many musicians releasing music last year have. But what is unique, is that Alex decided to shine some light on his overlooked album by re-releasing the single 'Southern Heat’, along with a new live video filmed in his luthier workshop, on the anniversary of the album’s release.

‘Southern Heat’ is one of those songs that takes you by surprise. It seems like a sweet, romantic love song at first, but then it straight up hits you with an emotional punch that sits with you long after the song has ended. 

“This song just kind of wrote itself one night,” says Alex. “At first it sounds like a nice love song about a girl, but I actually think the lyrics are quite selfish and petty in nature. I came by it honestly though, and I think that’s what makes it good.”

Alex Beraldo been making music since 2006 and describes his sound as "a uniquely weird take on folk, blues, rock n roll and country music. The music is catchy yet different, throwback but contemporary. Think John Prine trying to be Bob Dylan, but he hung out with Bradley Nowell. And he grew up on blues, punk rock and underground rap. In the 90s." 

Alex has fronted several bands and been a solo act, touring Canada multiple times from coast to coast. He's independently recorded and released ten albums as the frontman of bands The Breaks and The People, including five solo efforts.  

'Southern Heat' is available now on Spotify, Apple Music/iTunes, and other digital retailers and streaming services worldwide. For more info, please visit alexberaldo.com

FOLLOW ALEX BERALDO:
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Calgary Country Roots Band Steel & Timber Announce Release of 3rd Album

FIRST SINGLE 'DON'T SAY NO' OUT NOW

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Steel & Timber · 05 - Don't Say No

Calgary country roots band Steel & Timber are excited to announce the release of their new self-titled album, which will be out on May 28th. And today marks the release of the first single ‘Don’t Say No’. 

Full of remorse and longing, ‘Don’t Say No’ captures the wistful feeling of wishing you could go back in time. 

“This is a song of regret and the agony reliving a moment you could have changed,” says lead vocalist Nathan Harris-Thompson. “The torment of not knowing if things might be different, if you had made different choices.” 

Steel & Timber started with a banjo, an acoustic guitar, and a summer evening jam in Calgary, Alberta. Founding members Nathan Harris-Thompson and Benjamin Rogalsky expected to play some covers, share some ideas, and enjoy the outdoors. What they didn’t expect was an audience. With requests for albums, future performances, and a guitar case full of tips, the duo branched out and started a band.

After releasing albums Homebrew in 2015 and Everything You Own in 2017, husband and wife duo and Newfoundland natives, Navarro and Stephanie Ralph, joined the group adding the drum and bass on the new album.

“Our new album is a collection of new songs and a few older ones that have been given new life with the addition of drums,” says Nathan. “The percussion adds a new pulse and energy that gives this third album a harder edge. We went with a self-titled album because when we added the drums, we felt we had found the sound we were looking for. We also gelled as a band. Our previous albums featured different bass players and an uncertain direction. This is the Steel & Timber we were looking for.” 

Steel & Timber’s new single ‘Don’t Say No’ is available now on Spotify, Apple Music/iTunes, and other digital retailers and streaming services worldwide. Their new self-titled album will be released on May 28th. For more information, please visit steel-and-timber.com.

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STEEL & TIMBER IS: 
Nathan Harris-Thompson - lead vocals, banjo, acoustic guitar, ukulele
Benjamin Rogalsky - acoustic guitar, back up vocals
Navarro Ralph - bass, acoustic guitar, back up vocals
Stephanie Ralph - drums

FOLLOW STEEL & TIMBER:
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