Nick Ferrio singing for change on new track 'How Will I Know'

Slowcity.ca pal, Nick Ferrio, has released a video for his single, “How Will I Know”. All of us involved in the arts wonder whether what we make is of any relevance - but then we say fack it and keep on keeping on.

In a press release Nick says:

‘“How Will I Know” is a philosophical song; it’s about my relationship with music and thinking about why I’m drawn to make it, especially in today’s day and age, with the music industry changing. We’ve all heard over and over again about how the music industry is in the pits and how culturally music isn’t as valuable as it once was. I guess the nagging question in this song is, is music still worth something? The answer to that is yes. Music has the power to transform, to give meaning, to create connection, to make change. Ultimately, music is powerful. And because of that, music will survive whatever happens to the music industry.’

Jerry Leger on his European tour; plays Town Brewery in Whitby Jun 7

By Will McGuirk

Its been a while since Jerry Leger has played in Durham Region but he makes a welcome return Jun 7 2018 at the Town Brewery in Whitby. The Toronto singer/songwriter, considered one of the best in the country by many (including me), has recently returned from a tour of Europe with his band, The Situation. They played The Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Ireland, Scotland and England. There is a lot of European folk traditions in Leger's songbook so we asked him how it went on this, his first visit to the mythical source.

SC: Much of what would inform your music would come from the British Isles and Ireland - how has visiting the wellspring of folk affected your own songwriting?

JL: "Yeah, music from there has always been a part of my make up, so it's always had an affect on my writing. It was wild to finally be there and I could almost hear music bouncing off of the land, water, streets and pubs."

SC: Have you had a chance to see other musicians in the towns you have toured? Any of the locals impressed you?

JL: "Not really, we played 21 or 22 shows in 25 days, so there wasn't a lot of downtime. We did see some jazz played by some local students in Copenhagen. That was cool and Kyle (Sullivan), the drummer in The Situation sat in for a tune. Other than that we got to hear some cool musicians who opened for us. I dug Matt McGinn who opened for us in Belfast and a great guy too. The Situation and I roamed the streets of Cologne, drinking beers with the band that opened for us there, B. Phonics."

SC: There were places in Ireland and England I visited where I felt very grounded, has that happened to you, has the land spoken to you?

JL: "I wish I could have spent more time in some these places, we were on the move a lot but I felt very comfortable in Winchester, England. We played this old tavern dating back to the 1500's, filled with ghosts, a great bartender and a great crowd. I enjoyed hanging out there and walking around the block a bit. Outside of Manchester, James McKie's Dad lives there and drove us around to see a lot of the surrounding villages and beautiful scenery. I just wanted to stay there. Belfast we had a day off, so that was nice getting to hang out there. Overall I really enjoyed meeting people and always felt welcomed and comfortable. Looking forward to going back"

Fabrizio Cammarata to play CMW at the Cameron House

By Will McGuirk

I miss Okkervil River, waiting for new tunes but Fabrizio Cammarata is a fair substitute. The Sicilian singer/songwriter last put out an album in 2011, "Rooms", and has released an EP in the interim. But he is touring still. He will be playing a few times at the Cameron House in TO over the course of Canadian Music Week. "Long Shadows" will feature on his upcoming album due November 2018.

Cammarata says on his website, the song features “total solar eclipse of memory. Two young women. They look alike… but not quite. It’s as if one was the idealized version of the other, the real one: in black and white, she’s naked, in the wild, like an angel, perfect. In color, she’s in a household context, where she can be smiling, crying, yelling at you, violent, let down. It takes a moment to understand. It only takes a total eclipse inside yourself.”

Canadian Music Week -> 

Donovan Woods is on fire on 'Burn That Bridge', new single out

The woodsy timbred Woods goes all Broken Social Steen on the first single "Burn That Bridge" from his new album 'Both Ways'. The track rolls like a hug of thunder down Thunder Road, or the anthemic leaning Bruce covering Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl. Its an emotional builder with the sweet teeth of failure and loss nibbling at the edges. The album drops April 20 2018 on Meant Well.