Toronto’s Shawn William Clarke emerges with a 12-track album entitled Softer Scissors (April 19, 2024), following his Spectral Acoustics album series (Vol. 1 & 2 released in 2020 and 2021, respectively). Clarke has sewn together a collage of various sonic influences, from Paul Simon to Sloan, all rooted by his image-rich storytelling and winding melodies. […] The post Shawn William Clarke gives a track-by-track breakdown of his new album first appeared on Roots Music Canada ..read more

Old Man Luedecke, also known as Christopher “Chris” Rudolph Luedecke, is an award-winning, banjo and guitar playing, singer-songwriter from Chester, NS. On April 16, he delivered a terrific performance at Toronto’s Hugh’s Room Live to a nearly capacity house, a large portion of which were long-time fans judging by the shouted requests that seemed to […] The post Concert review: Old Man Luedecke – April 16 at Hugh’s Room Live, Toronto first appeared on Roots Music Canada ..read more

Gordy the moose reviews some of his favourite new submissions to the Roots Music Canada virtual mailbox.  Honeybear, the Band – I Was Wrong The moment I pressed “play” on these guys’ Bandcamp page, I was transported to the era of Jackie Wilson and Ben E. King – so it was a pretty big surprise to […] The post New EPs from Honeybear, the Band and Old Beef Stringband first appeared on Roots Music Canada ..read more

When one man honestly commits his emotions to record, that’s par for the musical course. But when he conscripts nearly 200 people to join him in it … well, you’re in for a lot of feelings. And a lot of feelings is what we get on “Hearts On Fire,” a spotlight track from Brookfield, Nova […] The post Ukulele master James Hill’s new album features more than 200 Uke Heads first appeared on Roots Music Canada ..read more

What’s in a name? To indie-folk/pop songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sheena Legrand, the answer is “Just enough to make you change it when the time has come to hit the gas.” For her return to recording activity after a 10-year hiatus, the former Sheena Grobb has taken on a whole new moniker to better reflect the […] The post Sheena Legrand is back after 10 years with a new name and outlook first appeared on Roots Music Canada ..read more

For the past 33 years, members of Toronto’s Irish music community have faithfully staged a weekend gathering of fine playing and teaching called the Chris Langan Weekend, all for a very reasonable $100 weekend pass. The namesake for the event is the late Chris Langan, a mentor, teacher, craftsman and advocate of the Irish arts […] The post Review: The annual Chris Langan Weekend – April 12-14 at the Tranzac, Toronto first appeared on Roots Music Canada ..read more

Jed and the Valentine is the musical collaboration between Jonah Morris and Maria Khaner, Edmonton-based singer-songwriters ready to make a mark on the international roots music scene with their soulful harmonies and lyrics inspired by the majestic landscapes of western Canada. It’s all there on the duo’s debut album, Awake!, nine songs that mark their first two […] The post The Chat Room: Jed and the Valentine first appeared on Roots Music Canada ..read more

Some things never go out of style, like having your heart broken and boozing away the pain. Vancouver roots crooner Justin Mattock pulls up a barstool and aligns himself squarely with that proud tradition on his latest single, “Where I Come to Drink.” The song chronicles the fallout of what Justin has called “a goodbye […] The post Justin Mattock is back after a 2-year health struggle with this new single first appeared on Roots Music Canada ..read more

Roddy Campbell embodies the qualities most often associated with folks from the Scottish Highlands: brave, stubborn, and courageous. Fearless and fierce, sociable and friendly, he hails from Dingwall, home of his beloved Ross County Football Club and made Canada his permanent home close to 50 years ago. He’s played and worked in folk and roots […] The post Penguin Eggs founder Roddy Campbell talks about what’s next for him. first appeared on Roots Music Canada ..read more

Possessed of an elastic voice, formidable songwriting chops and a command of several genres, including country, soul and punk rock, Toronto’s Gillian Hay makes quite an impression with her debut EP, Magnolia Baby, the follow-up to just a couple of singles released since 2018. It opens with “Dancing Shoes,” an absolutely killer mixture of folk-pop […] The post EP review: Gillian Hay – Magnolia Baby first appeared on Roots Music Canada ..read more