• Clients
  • About
  • Services
  • Reviews
  • News
  • Podcast
  • Contact
Fritz Media
  • Clients
  • About
  • Services
  • Reviews
  • News
  • Podcast
  • Contact

Canadian Folk Icon Connie Kaldor Releases New Album KEEP GOING

WATCH/SHARE VIDEO FOR 2nd SINGLE
'NOT A SENTIMENTAL SONG'
HERE

Celebrating 45 years in folk music, award-winning Canadian folk icon Connie Kaldor channels a wisdom that comes from experience on her latest release Keep Going out now on all digital streaming platforms. Listen here.

Also out now is the video for the 2nd single 'Not a Sentimental Song', a sweet and introspective anniversary song celebrating love that endures decades.

"There is something like alchemy that happens for me when I take a song that I've written on a guitar with a simple picking pattern that has a somewhat dreamy quality to it," says Connie. "And then you play it with others and somehow they capture that soundtrack dreaminess and suddenly those folk guitar patterns are floating above a percussion track. I love it when ordinary is surpassed. When what is expected is not what is needed. It is wonderful to see these young players with all their skills and influences carry those folk musical intensions so carefully, adding their harmonies and sounds and hear it captured perfectly. There is almost a visual quality to this track. It was a thrill to hear it unfold as we recorded it."  

At 70, Connie’s latest album is a milestone in her long career. The prairie artist once again attests to her depth as a songwriter, showing she can tackle any story out there and will, with songs that will stop you in your tracks. From the first song, the album's title track, 'Keep Going' serves as an anthem of perseverance and resilience, inspiring listeners to remain steadfast in the face of hardship. Her songs 'Sad is Your Passing' and 'Without You' take on grief and loss with the grace and beauty that you would expect of a songwriter of her calibre. 

This latest release reminds listeners that her music has always drawn attention to the experiences of women, often by employing humour to disarm an audience. Among her earliest successes, her song, 'Jerks' mocked the jeers and catcalls from men that all women have experienced (and this, back when folk festivals would reject female songwriters with a, “sorry, we already have our women’s act this year”). Today, Connie again shows her lifelong commitment against gender inequities with 'Woman Who Pays' written to commemorate a friend of her daughter-in-law, who was one of the eight women murdered in eight weeks in Montreal during the pandemic. The track calls attention to increasing rates of gender-based violence as Connie sings: “What is domestic about assault?”

Keep Going was recorded at Studio King in Montreal. Connie worked with Paul Campagne, her producer and co-producer of her children—Gabriel Campagne (voice) and Aleksi Campagne (voice and violin)—who also appear on the album. Keep Going features multiple Maple Blues Award Winner Suzie Vinnick and acclaimed uilleann pipe player Steáfán Hannigan. 

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 the new album, starting on October 26th in Spruce Grove, AB. See below for the full tour schedule. For more information, please visit conniekaldor.com.


CONNIE KALDOR UPCOMING 2023 TOUR DATES
Oct 26th - Spruce Grove, AB - Horizon Stage
Oct 27th - Foothills County, 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 
Nov 18th - Toronto, ON - Acoustic Harvest
Nov 26th - Montreal, QC - Casa del Popolo


FOLLOW CONNIE KALDOR:
Website | Spotify | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube



MEDIA TOOLS:
STREAM/SHARE 'Not a Sentimental Song'  HERE (via SoundCloud)
WATCH/SHARE 'Not a Sentimental Song' Video HERE (via YouTube)
CLICK HERE for biography, high-res press photos + single/album art 

Friday 10.20.23
Posted by Jen Fritz
 

Sandra Bouza's New Album A SOUND IN THE DARK Is Out Now!

WATCH/SHARE VIDEO
FOR TITLE TRACK 
HERE

Toronto musician Sandra Bouza shares her new album A Sound In The Dark, out now on all digital streaming platforms. Listen here.

To mark the occasion, Sandra is also releasing the video for the album's title track—an empowering song about not being afraid to take chances in life. 

"My inspiration for this song was skinny dipping," says Sandra. "I was at an artist residency on Halls Island, and decided to go skinny dipping on a beautiful clear night. I heard a sound in the dark and got scared and jumped out of the water and went back up to the cabin. I started thinking about all the times in my life that I let fear take away really beautiful, or potentially beautiful moments, or starting my career so late, or not falling in love, and I decided I didn’t want to let fear have that control anymore. So I wrote this song and got back in the water the next night. I thought it was a perfect name for the album because it really signified where I feel I am in my life right now, maybe not every day, but where I want to, and strive to be, every day." 

Known as a musical shapeshifter, playing R&B, Soul, Rock, and everything in between, Sandra has a lot to offer through her music and life experience. Having spent a large part of her life in Spain, as well as travelling to far corners of the world, Sandra’s worldly vision is evident in her songwriting. Sandra lets her stories breathe in songs that are deeply personal.

After years of travelling, Sandra returned to her hometown of Toronto in 2018 and, within her first year back, she won the Toronto Blues Talent search and came second in the city’s prestigious Soul Slam. The early promise of Three Years, her 2018 EP, and Falling Away From Me, her first full-length album that followed in 2020, put everyone on notice that Sandra Bouza was an artist to watch.

Everything came together for Sandra during an artist’s residence on Halls Island, where she wrote most of the material for her upcoming album, A Sound in the Dark. Everyone who’s heard her sing knows that Sandra’s always been a powerful vocalist and a compelling songwriter, but with the new recording, she has truly found her own voice, and the promise of her earlier work has come to full fruition.

 “This record is truly me, more me than I have ever been able to give up to this point," says Sandra. "With the new songs, I share more of myself than I have ever been able to do before.”

You can hear echoes of Etta James and Carla Thomas in Sandra’s powerful and highly nuanced phrasing. And like contemporaries Amy Winehouse and Adele, she's absorbed a lot from listening to the greats from the golden age of R&B, emerging with a style that is all her own. Gifted with a masterful sense of poise and control, few singers can inhabit a vocal like Sandra does.

A Sound In The Dark is available now on Spotify, Apple Music/iTunes, and other digital retailers and streaming services worldwide. For more information, please visit sandrabouza.com.


FOLLOW SANDRA BOUZA:
WEBSITE | SPOTIFY | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER 


MEDIA TOOLS:
WATCH/POST 'A Sound In The Dark' video HERE (via YouTube)
STREAM/POST 'A Sound In The Dark'  HERE (via SoundCloud)
CLICK HERE for biography, high-res press photos + single art 

Friday 09.29.23
Posted by Jen Fritz
 

The Blaze Velluto Collection Release New Album WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND?

Third album from the enigmatic folk rock band released with a new video for the song 'Aligned'

WATCH/SHARE VIDEO HERE

Quebec City-based The Blaze Velluto Collection share their new album What's On Your Mind? out now on all digital streaming platforms via Duprince Records. Listen here. 

After the release of 3 singles this year - 'Feeler', 'Baby (You Set My Love on Fire Everyday)' and 'Friends'  - here they go again for the grand finale. A third album, including 11 steady and groovy songs that take the ear into a vast, almost cinematic experience. From folk to rock, with a bit of country, pop and psych sounds, this album leads its audience in a completely new, yet surprisingly welcoming universe. True to its outstanding visuals, Blaze whipped up a slot car race for the release of the album with the official video for focus track 'Aligned'.

The Blaze Velluto Collection takes its name from a collection of songs assembled by the enigmatic Blaze himself. Raised in Quebec City’s anglophone community, he carries a music without boundaries through a blend of rock n' roll, folk, country, pop and R&B, wrapped in a benevolent psychedelic spirit and fertile imagery. This amalgam of genres also shines through the project's iconic visual identity. Over the years, Blaze has delivered music videos that transcend the limits of the mind. 

Since releasing their debut album Weatherman in 2017, The Blaze Velluto Collection has captivated Quebec and Canadian audiences, playing in festivals with a show that transports us to coastal America in the heart of July. On stage, Blaze is surrounded by a core group of musicians and singers composed of Little Miss Roy, Sheenah Ko, Guillaume Chiasson (Bon Enfant) and Jean-Étienne Collin-Marcoux (Beat Sexü). In the studio, he has made a habit of bringing together over fifteen artists and friends during the production of his albums. 

What's On Your Mind? is available now on Spotify, Apple Music/iTunes, and other digital retailers and streaming services worldwide. For more information, please visit theblazevellutocollection.ca.


FOLLOW THE BLAZE VELLUTO COLLECTION:
WEBSITE | SPOTIFY | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE



MEDIA TOOLS:
WATCH/SHARE 'Aligned' video HERE
CLICK HERE for biography, high-res press photos + album art 

Friday 09.29.23
Posted by Jen Fritz
 

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.


FOLLOW GINGER BEEF:
WEBSITE | SPOTIFY | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE



MEDIA TOOLS:
WATCH/POST 'Hocus Pocus' video HERE (via YouTube)
STREAM/POST 'Hocus Pocus' HERE (via SoundCloud)
CLICK HERE for biography, high-res press photos + single art 

Friday 09.22.23
Posted by Jen Fritz
 

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.


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


FOLLOW LOS DUENDES:
WEBSITE | SPOTIFY | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE



MEDIA TOOLS:
STREAM/POST 'Coleslaw' HERE (via SoundCloud)
CLICK HERE for biography, high-res press photos + single art 

 

Friday 09.22.23
Posted by Jen Fritz
 
Newer / Older