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Jenny Berkel Signs With Pheromone Recordings

Canadian singer-songwriter Jenny Berkel’s evocative songs and voice have been intoxicating listeners since the release of her first album, Here On A Wire. Both on her own and as part of Daniel Romano’s Trilliums band, her consistent touring has garnered fans across the country and the ocean. It has also earned her the attention of Pheromone Recordings.

“It’s a true pleasure to be welcoming Jenny to the Pheromone roster,” says Pheromone Recordings founder Kim Cooke. “She’s a sublime new talent as a songwriter, a vocalist and live performer and we can’t wait to bring her music to market.”

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to be working with Pheromone,” says Berkel. “They are wonderful people who are passionate about what they do and committed to supporting music that moves them. It’s a true honour to join their roster!”

To celebrate the signing and ahead of an upcoming release via Pheromone Recordings, Berkel has self-released the Cicada EP, a collection of songs recorded throughout the last two years which features guests Tamara Lindeman (The Weather Station), Michael Feuerstack, Daniel Romano and Kay Berkel.

“Love Is A Dark Thing” is a duet with Michael Feuerstack, who Berkel claims is “one of the greatest songwriters in this country. As I was writing this song, I could already hear his warm, gentle voice singing it with me.” “How Red The Bloom” is a spookier song featuring Tamara Lindeman, another one of Canada’s finest. “She has such a rich and expansive voice. I thought it would be perfect on this song. We sent it to her in Toronto and she swiftly sent it back with these perfectly eerie harmonies.” The EP is available for purchase HERE and the track list can be found below.

Born in the heart of Ontario’s lush forests and fields, Berkel’s music has drawn her from rural Ontario to Winnipeg to Toronto and now to Montreal. This constant shifting finds its rest in her songs: her lyrics are dreamy and piercing, shimmering with memories and glittering with the quiet solitude of a night sky.

A full length LP is due out on Pheromone Recordings in the near future and full album details will be announced shortly. In the meantime fans in Toronto can see Jenny Berkel perform at The Burdock on December 18 with Marine Dreams.

CICADA EP TRACKLIST

1 How Red The Bloom
2 Love Is A Dark Thing
3 All That You Do (Live at Paradiso)
4 Pale Moon
5 Virginia Blues
6 Like A Rope

It’s A New Chapter For Lowest Of The Low As They Announce Tour Dates & Premiere New Songs

Today, Lowest of the Low released a double-sided single for free. The songs are available for streaming and download below.

Entitled ‘The Kids Are All Wrong’ and ‘In The Blink Of An Eye’ the tunes come out raging, engrossing and completely catchy – all at the same time. The legendary band (who were inducted into The Canadian Indie Rock Hall of Fame, awarded with CFNY’s Lifetime Achievement Award and whose 1991 debut ‘Shakespeare, My Butt’ has been honoured in the Top 10 Canadian Albums of All Time) will be hitting the road this December and bringing down the house. Tour details are listed below.

After a period of relative quiet, and after the departure of Stephen Stanley – the band decided to play some small gigs in Toronto under the moniker Low UK. “We played a couple of shows, just to enjoy playing together again,” says front-man Ron Hawkins (who is currently recording the follow-up to the critically acclaimed ‘Garden Songs’ for release on Pheromone April 1 and who was just named, for the second time, NOW’s Songwriter of the Year) “to play some songs for the hardcore fans that were missing us.” It turns out that the band was missing itself as well.”We decided it was do or die. Either regroup as Lowest of the Low or put the band to rest once and for all.”

With the addition of new guitarist Brian MacMillan and the return of long time collaborator Lawrence Nichols – the Low have become more vital than ever.

Lowest Of The Low
Ron Hawkins – Lead vocals, guitars.
Dave Alexander – Drums
Lawrence Nichols – Vocals, Harmonica and keyboards.
Dylan Parker – Bass and Vocals
Brian MacMillan – Guitar and Vocals

The Tiny Record Shop set to host in-store performance with The Dears

Toronto — The Tiny Record Shop is excited to announce that The Dears will be performing acoustically at the store and signing vinyl on Saturday, November 28th at 1:00PM. Entry to the in-store is free with a non-perishable donation to Covenant House Toronto.

The Dears are performing their new album Times Infinity Volume One the night before on November 27 at Lee’s Palace. You can you grab tickets here.

The Tiny Record Shop is located at 804 Queen Street East in Toronto’s booming Riverside/Leslieville community. Over the past year, The Tiny Record Shop has catered to the city’s music lovers by becoming the city’s premier destination to track-down that hard-to-find record. In that time, The Tiny Record Shop has received praise from The Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, CBC.ca, NOW Magazine and Indie 88.com.

The Tiny Record Shop boasts a selection of essential vinyl releases from the 1950’s through to this week’s newest sounds. The shop’s selection will impress fans of country, soul, reggae, blues, classic and indie rock alike. The Tiny Record Shop is Downtown Toronto’s only ticket outlet in the East End.

Ron Hawkins Crowned 2015 NOW Magazine’s Best Songwriter

History has repeated itself 15 years on as NOW Magazine has once again dubbed Ron Hawkins the city’s Best Songwriter! Ron previously won  in 2000.  The award this year comes on the heels of his latest lauded release Garden Songs, recorded with The Do Good Assassins.  Readers were asked to start voting in June and and had 1,500 nominees across all of the 200+ categories.

BEST SONGWRITER
Ron Hawkins

You might know Ron Hawkins’s songs from his tenure with hometown heroes Lowest of the Low, or from his prolific career as a solo artist who sways between country soul and smart punk rock.  Garden Songs showcases his gentler side, his exceptional, cliché-free lyrics and his resonant, emotive voice, but if you prefer his edgier fare, Ron’s got a rocker coming down the pipe, currently scheduled for release around the beginning of April 2016.

Check out all of the city’s Best: http://bestof.nowtoronto.com/2015/

‘Force Of Nature’ Out Today

The new EP Force Of Nature by Poor Young Things is officially out today! Produced by Gus Van Go and Werner F, the dedication to both the spirit of rock ‘n roll, and to each other, is burned into the digital grooves of this 6-song banger that will make you want to road trip anywhere in order to see it live and sing along.

Listen to the new record on Spotify or Rdio and then head over to iTunes to grab your copy.

‘The Ropes’ Out Today

The long-awaited sophomore album by Vancouver troubadours Good For Grapes is now available! Recorded at The Warehouse in Vancouver and produced by Howard Redekopp,The Ropes is big, bold, and compelling. The album is the sound of a young band that, five years into its career, has truly found its voice.

Listen to the new record on Spotify or Rdio and then head over to iTunes to grab your copy.

Stream The New EP Force Of Nature By Poor Young Things On Exclaim!

Toronto-based indie rock outfit Poor Young Things are ready to follow up 2013’s full-length debut The Heart. The Head. The End. next week with a new EP titled Force of Nature. Before the record officially lands, though, Exclaim! is letting you hear the whole thing.

The six-song effort was produced by Gus Van Go (the Stills, Hollerado) and Werner F at the Boiler Room studio in Brooklyn and delivers another hard-hitting dose of the group’s infectious guitar pop.

“We poured our blood, sweat and tears into Force of Nature and we couldn’t be happier with the result,” said frontman Matt Fratpietro in a statement. “It’s a driving record, plain and simple.”

Force of Nature arrives on October 9 but let the new EP take you by storm now over at exclaim.ca

‘Times Infinity Volume One’ Out Today

Today is the day. The Dears’ new record Times Infinity Volume One is finally out for you all to hear!

Stream the record on Spotify or Rdio

and then pick it up on iTunes or order the CD or LP

Read the 8/10 review from Exclaim! Magazine:

On Times Infinity Volume One, the Dears’ songs vary in terms of depth and intricacy, but each is a fully realized narrative, layered with wild intricacy. Murray Lightburn’s guitar lines bloom in measured expanses and unspool in frenzied bursts; Natalia Yanchak’s fingers dance across the keys like stones skipping across a pond; lyrics burst with secret revelations and wry truths.

Not every track is trying to shatter salt-lick hearts. There’s a delectable, macabre humour about love at work throughout, particularly on the lead single, “Here’s To The Death of All The Romance,” and the jangly, album-closing crooner “Face of Horrors.” A funky lilt belies the tension of Lightburn and Yanchak’s blended vocals on the taut “We Lost Everything.”

“To Hold and Have” features Lightburn at his most vocally restrained, and everything about the instrumentation works. The swell of the strings, the dreamy guitar line — all of it adds a sorrowful warmth to the fraught, tragic romance of lines like, “This life that we fought so hard for / Well, I want more to hold and have.” Like your new favourite anthology of short stories — think Alice Munro meets Edgar Allen Poe — Times Infinity Volume One is a magnificent testament to the human heart in all of its complexity.

Good For Grapes Premiere Single “Waiting On A Ghost” Via Exclaim! Sophomore Album The Ropes Out October 2

Vancouver-based indie-folk group Good For Grapes have released their first single “Waiting On A Ghost,” via Exclaim!, which you can listen to here. The single comes off their upcoming sophomore album set for release on Pheromone Recordings on October 2nd, 2015.

The Ropes, follows Good For Grapes acclaimed 2013 full-length debut Man on The Page. Recorded at The Warehouse in Vancouver and produced by Howard Redekopp (Tegan and Sara, Mother Mother, Dear Rouge), this album is bigger, bolder, and more compelling. The album is the sound of a young band that, five years into its career, has truly found its voice. In November 2014, Good For Grapes were crowned the winners of The Peak Performance Project BC, one of Canada’s highest coveted music prizes. Chief songwriter/vocalist/guitarist Daniel McBurnie explains that, “The Peak prize allowed us to do many things we likely could not have done with the record otherwise. It gave us time to sit back and be creative with it.”

In support of the release the band will head out on a Canadian tour that kicks off at the end of October. They will travel across the country to play shows in Calgary, Montreal, Toronto, Thunder Bay and more. “You just can’t help but smile as you watch the group pound out their music, bursting with sheer joy – when they’re on stage it’s obvious there’s no place they’d rather be,” mentions Vancouver daily newspaper The Province. Full tour dates to be announced soon.

Poor Young Things Release New EP Force Of Nature; Join The Glorious Sons On The Contender Tour This Fall

Poor Young Things couldn’t have picked a better title than Force Of Nature for their new EP. The six-song sonic blast is the Toronto-based outfit’s follow up to their 2013 full-length debut, The Heart. The Head. The End., reconfirming their status as one of Canada’s most exciting, emerging and modern indie rock bands. Force Of Nature will be released October 9.

“We poured our blood, sweat and tears into Force Of Nature and we couldn’t be happier with the result,” front man Matt Fratpietro says. “It’s a driving record, plain and simple.”

The EP’s first single,”Like An Animal,” landed at radio this summer, offering a double-barreled blast of euphoric guitar pop, while ingeniously co-opting perennial New York City mayoral candidate Jimmy McMillan’s catchphrase for its hook, “You can’t pay the rent ’cause you’re too damn high.”

The band recorded Force Of Nature with producers Gus Van Go and Werner F at the pair’s Brooklyn, NY studio The Boiler Room in January 2015. It marked Poor Young Things’ first sessions since being named Sirius XM’s 2013 Emerging Artist of the Year, and earned them a slot on the 2013 Vans Warped Tour.

Poor Young Things, comprised of Matt Fratpietro, guitarists David Allan Grant and Michael Kondakow, bassist Scott Burke, and drummer Konrad Commisso, formed in Thunder Bay, ON. The band released its first EP, Let It Sleep, in 2012, and embarked on a full-time touring schedule that now averages over 100 shows per year. Poor Young Things head out across Canada again this October and November, supporting The Glorious Sons on their The Contender Tour.

The Dears Unveil New Track “Here’s To The Death Of All The Romance” Via Exclaim!

A month ahead of releasing Times Infinity Volume One, The Dears share their first single, “Here’s to The Death of All the Romance,” via Exclaim!. Propelled by emotive lyrics against a grandiose, orchestral backdrop, the track from Times Infinity Volume One is a dark but realistic sentiment on unconditional love. Listen here.

Times Infinity Volume One is out September 25th via Pheromone Recordings and is available for pre-order on iTunes now. “Here’s To The Death Of All The Romance” follows the band’s release of the teaser track “I Used To Pray For The Heavens To Fall” last month. To view the animated lyric video for the corresponding song visit here.

The Dears will be heading west next month for a number of dates including a performance at Rifflandia Festival. In addition, the band will be hosting a record release show in Montreal, QC at the Phi Centre. A limited amount of tickets will be available exclusively through the band’s social networks. Stay tuned for more information and additional tour dates.

THE BUZZ
“The Dears are sexual, knowledgeably sensitive beasts, uniquely gracefully and delicately ornate. A band that folk can believe in, and trustworthy in the task of carrying the emotional baggage invested in them by those who do so.” – NME

“Spanning nearly two decades together, releasing 5 albums and playing some of the worlds largest festivals from Glastonbury to Coachella, this Montreal band surely knows a thing or two about writing a great pop hit.” – Indie88

“”I Used To Pray For the Heavens to Fall’ is an early taste of what’s to come, and it demonstrates how, if anything, this band has only gotten better with age.” – New Canadian Music

Poor Young Things Release New Single “Like An Animal” From Forthcoming EP

Last month, Canadian rock radio got a shot in the arm when Poor Young Things delivered their new single “Like An Animal.” The song is now available at iTunes.ca, in advance of the Toronto quintet’s upcoming six-song EP to be released this fall on Pheromone Recordings. “Like An Animal” is a double-barreled blast of euphoric guitar pop, which ingeniously co-opts perennial New York City mayoral candidate Jimmy McMillan’s catchphrase for its hook, “You can’t pay the rent ’cause you’re too damn high.”

“With ‘Like An Animal’ we wanted to make something with a fun vibe that people could dance to,” Poor Young Things front man Matt Fratpietro says. “It’s a song about that one friend we all have who loves to take summer nights to the next level and beyond.”

The band recorded “Like An Animal” with producers Gus Van Go and Werner F at the pair’s Brooklyn, NY studio The Boiler Room in January 2015. It marked Poor Young Things’ first sessions since the release of their 2013 full-length debut, The Heart. The Head. The End., which led them to be named Sirius XM’s 2013 Emerging Artist of the Year, and earn a slot on the 2013 Vans Warped Tour.

Poor Young Things, comprised of Matt Fratpietro, guitarists David Allan Grant and Michael Kondakow, bassist Scott Burke, and drummer Konrad Commisso, formed in Thunder Bay, ON. The band released its first EP, Let It Sleep, in 2012, and embarked on a full-time touring schedule that now averages over 100 shows per year. Poor Young Things are set to head out across Canada again this October and November, supporting Kingston, ON’s The Glorious Sons on their The Contender Tour.

“Poor Young Things might be the next big mainstream rock band out of Canada” –
Paul Morris, HTZ FM

“Genuine, original, accomplished: these are just some of the adjectives that come to mind when describing Toronto indie-rock band Poor Young Things” – The Scene Magazine