Video Vault: Smokin’ Hot Submissions
byTeam GDW are back in PA, following an extended weekend adventure in Ontario – catching up with friends, and of course, taking in some…
Archive
Snappy Singles: Spring Is In The Air
byMarch is finally here. Winter is practically a fading memory now. We’ve adjusted the clocks again and we’re ready for some longer, warmer, lighter…
Brooks & Bowskill: Live at Massey Hall
by“Cicada on my window screen / He got baked in the heat / Looks like he’ll be sticking around / Much longer than he…
Blue Rodeo: Live At Massey Hall
by“Ain’t no mystery what I need / Is understanding / And your sweet sympathy / A steel string guitar and a little weed /…
February Finds: Five Songs You May Have Missed
bySo many new tunes, so little space to include them all – an all too frequent dilemma here at GDW. But, fear not, we…
February Femmes: Fresh Tunes From Emerging Female Artists
byNew music releases are not slowing down! We are overwhelmed by the volume of submissions arriving daily here at GDW – not to mention…
Single Release: Del Barber, “Still Got You”
byLeave it up to Del Barber to find the words to sublimely catch the mood of our times within a single, succinct catch phrase:…
Daniel Romano’s Outfit & The Sadies: Live At The Palasad Socialbowl
byA changing of the guard, a passing of the torch, whatever you want to call it, occurred last Friday night. London’s newest entertainment venue for…
Video Vault: Restocking The Safe
byWe cracked open the safe frequently in 2022 to share our Video Vaults contents with you – but fear not, the Audio/Visual Armoured Truck…
Lesley Carter: 2022 Fave 20 Albums List
byAlthough I unfortunately seldom have the opportunity to write full reviews for our site as Martin does, that doesn’t mean I haven’t been listening…
Martin Noakes: 2022 Fave 20 Albums List
byAs we prepare to close out another outstanding year for Canadian music, I am happy to share what I consider to be 20 of…
2022 Year End Review: 20 Memorable Singles
byCompiling a list of 20 memorable singles from the last twelve months originally came as an emergency replacement for our 10 memorable live concert…
2022 Year-End Roundup: 10 Memorable Live Moments
byBefore I jump into this feature, I really MUST state for the record here that for us live music junkies, the return of in-person…
Snappy Singles: Winter Treats & Holiday Beats
byAs we wind our way through this last month of 2022, for many, the holiday season is in full swing. Seasonal music is everywhere…
November Nuggets: Five Songs You May Have Missed
byNovember is flying by, it seems. Why is November always that one month of the year that seems to get away from all of…
Snappy Singles: Nostalgic November Finds
byWe’ve turned the calendar over once again, meaning that it’s time to share yet more Snappy Singles, and we sure have some stunning sentimental…
Single Release: Maddie Storvold, “Long Time Gone”
byYou know you have found a good song when it comes to an end, and you hit repeat, jumping back to the start. Such…
Snappy Singles: October Essentials
byWithout sounding like a broken record here, the single releases from across Canada are coming at us thick and fast right now. So much…
Single & Video Release: Carter Felker, “The Bad Guy”
byConnecting with musicians through other artists, producers, and publicists, always puts a smile on my face, and has proven time and time again to…
Snappy Singles: Summer Heat, Summer Beats
byNew single releases show no signs of slowing down anytime soon – perhaps only musicians and music bloggers are exempt from taking summer vacations…
Video Vault: More Mini Movies
byOops, I got so excited with the last batch of videos that I forgot to lock up the Video Vault at the end of…
Review: Tami Neilson, “Kingmaker”
byTami Neilson’s latest album, “Kingmaker,” arrives at a particularly apt moment in time, a moment when women everywhere (but especially where I’m writing in…
Commonwealth Connections: Ali Neil, “Land Before Us”
byIt’s a Commonwealth Connection – Ali Neil, British singer/songwriter, has a new solo EP out (his debut). Check out Richard’s thoughts about it.
Video Vault: Month End Binge Watch
byThe music videos continue to accumulate, and some of these are blockbusters in their own right, just itching to be discovered. We’ll keep the…
Review: Meredith Lazowski, “Other Way Home”
byToronto-based alt-country/Americana artist Meredith Lazowski shares her highly anticipated debut album, “Other Way Home,” released just a week ago. Produced by talented Juno award-winner…
Snappy Singles: Early Summer Jams
byAs spring turns quickly towards summer, it’s not only the temps that are heating up, it’s the sheer volume of hot, hot, hot music…
Review: The Redhill Valleys, “Travel Well (Pt. 1)”
byI fondly recall an enjoyable evening of live music with Hamilton, ON country-rockers The Redhill Valleys back in May 2019 (in the Steel City…
Steel Town Round: Live Music Event At The Mule Spinner
by“O Canada! Our home and native land! True patriot love in all of us command…” Okay, while Lesley and I are not Canadians in…
Video Vault: Another Mini-Movie Marathon
byWhile we dedicate our usual midweek video slots to our month-long “May’s Matts” features, we refuse to discriminate against those with no references to…
Single Release: Justyn Thyme, “If It Takes All Night”
by“What is Prince Edward Island?” Okay, so this opening remark is not something you’d expect to find in one of my GDW articles, but…
Single Release: Meredith Lazowski, “Prairie”
by“Prairie straight lines of hay / Where the fields are flat and the skies give it away / No one knows how the beauty…
Video Premiere: Shaela Miller, “Tidal Wave”
by“Living in my hometown / It’s too late to leave / Feels like a tidal wave has come / Crashing down on me /…
Snappy Singles: Doubling Down For March Madness
byMarch is here, and with it, the knowledge that the long-awaited desire for the next season is just around the corner. But, while it…
Video Vault – Another Round Of Music Videos
byIt may have only been a few weeks ago when we last shared a Video Vault feature, but once again, we have so many…
Video Vault – More Audio-Visual Delights
byHere at Team GDW, we are always swamped with requests for album and single reviews, and it seems that we are now encountering a…
Snappy Singles: February Feels
bySure, we may already be into the second week of the second month, but I won’t lie to you – these four hand-picked singles…
Martin’s Top Four Canadian Albums Of 2021
byFollowing my list last week that chronicled what I consider to be my twenty favorite albums from Canada through 2021, this year proved difficult…
2021 Team GDW Miscellaneous Honors
byAs Martin prepares to reveal his Final Four Albums of the Year tomorrow (and having already listed his Twenty Favorite Singles and Albums over…
Martin Noakes: 2021 Top Twenty Album List
byAs we approach the final week of 2021, my mind has a flashback to March 2020, when our lives were turned upside down. Daily…
2021 Year End Review: 20 Memorable Singles
byThe restrictions resulting from the breakout of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 placed a hiatus on our concert-going adventures, which in turn halted our…
Review: Christo Graham, “Graham’s General Store”
byChristo Graham released his seventh self-produced album, “Graham’s General Store,” back on October 1st, via the We Are Busy Bodies label. The album pirouettes…
Review: Zachary Lucky, “Songs For Hard Times”
byAfter sampling Brittany Kennell’s brand of new-country, and the Spaghetti Western-themed alt-country of Vikki Gilmore, we wrap up our ‘country music themed week’ with…
Snappy Snippets: E.P Lepp, Wolf Willow, The Garrys, Jane Mathew
bySo many new albums, so little space and time to include them all – just another month here at Team GDW HQ. Once again,…
Review: Thomas Stajcer, “Midwestern States”
byWhat better than kicking off your Friday with some truly vintage country sounds? I fondly recall enjoying “Will I Learn To Love Again,” the…
Single Release: Wolf Willow, “All I Can Say”
byNew music releases continue to arrive in droves from all over Canada into the Team GDW email inbox, but when I see references made…
Review: Shaela Miller, “Big Hair Small City”
byI feel that I should preface this article with a disclaimer that while I don’t really care for the modern-day interpretation of country music…
Single Release: The Redhill Valleys, “Finish Line”
by“The winner ain’t the one with the fastest car, it’s the one who refuses to lose” (Dale Earnhardt) Friday has finally arrived, and here…
Positives From The Pandemic – Spring 2021
byIt was around last summer, when it became pretty clear that the global pandemic was not going away anytime soon, that we posted what…
Single Release: Lawrence Maxwell, “Back To Cape Breton”
byI’m going to preempt my opening ramble by asking you to forgive me if you’ve heard me make these statements in the past, but…
Video Vault – Audio Visual Delights From Across Canada
byWe debuted our “Video Vault” feature this past Valentine’s Day, and shared with you four very recent releases from Canadian artists that cut across…
Snappy Singles: April Beats, Get-Ready-For-The-Weekend Treats
byFriday is finally here. We have made it to the end of our week devoted to many new and recent single releases from artists…
Snappy Singles: April Beats, Ontario Treats
byWe were not joking when we mentioned having plenty of new singles to share with you this week. Canadian artists are super-busy these days,…
Find A New Favorite: JJ Shiplett
byThis is not the first time I’ve made this statement, and can pretty much guarantee that it will not be the last, but here…
Review: Shane Pendergast, “Second Wind”
byWhat shapes a human? Is it the wash of space and time that carves out the soul hidden in the marble, as Michelangelo claimed,…
Review: The Dead South, “Served Live”
byWhen it comes to learning of great new music from my favorite artists, I’m an easy sell. And it’s true, I’ll be the first…
Snappy Singles: Fantastic February Treats To Feast Upon
byWe’re only into the second month of the year and the GDW inbox is overflowing again with so much amazing new music. From Americana…
Review: Scott Mackay, “Stupid Cupid”
byEarlier this month PEI singer-songwriter Scott MacKay released his third album, “Stupid Cupid,” which was co-produced with Adam Gallant (Dennis Ellsworth) at The Hill…
2020 Team GDW Miscellaneous Honors
byAs this crazy year comes to an end, should we banish forever the popular phrase, “Hindsight is 2020?” Should these words be outlawed? Struck…
2020 Top Twenty Album List
byUpon reflection, I would say that it was around the early part of summer 2020 when the reality of the Covid-19 pandemic hit home…
2020 Year-End Roundup: 20 Memorable Singles (Pt. 2)
byFollowing our look yesterday at the singles we deemed to be some of the finest releases from artists previously unknown to us, the spotlight…
2020 Year-End Roundup: 20 Memorable Singles (Pt. 1)
byI always enjoy revisiting our annual concert-going adventures, and typically use this feature to look back at the 10 most memorable concert moments we…
Colter Wall & Sean Burns Release A Pair Of Modern Country Classics
byLove it or hate it, unless you’ve lived under a rock for most of your life, you’ve probably been exposed to some good old…
Find A New Favorite: Gina Horswood, “Bare Bones”
byAt its heart, “Bare Bones,” Australian country blues artist Gina Horswood’s fourth album, is a courageous self-portrait of an artist taking stock of herself…
Single Release: Andrea Nixon, “Blind Spot”
byIt is truly hard to believe that two and a half years have flown by since we last featured music from Edmonton, AB country…
Positives From The Pandemic
byPrior to the arrival of Covid-19 here on our North American shores, this half of Team GDW would only find time to listen to…
Snappy Singles: More Sizzlers for Your Long Hot Summer Nights
byIt’s hard to believe that we’ve already celebrated Canada Day north of the border, and Independence Day here in the US, and are midway…
Random Record Revival: Ginger St. James, “Live at Knox Farms”
byAfter reviewing the stunning new “CHICKABOOM!” album from rockabilly songstress Tami Neilson this past February, I knew that this was a genre I really…
Single Release: Wyatt C. Louis, “Dancing with Sue”
byMoh´kinstsís, AB Cree-Métis singer-songwriter Wyatt C. Louis released this latest single, “Dancing with Sue,” just last week; a tune that evokes the feeling of…
Find A New Favorite: Christina Hutt
by“I Should Have Changed” is the new release (via YouTube) from Kearney, ON singer-songwriter Christina Hutt, the latest in a series of singles released…
Review: Six New Albums From Daniel Romano
byIn the zeitgeist of rock n roll prophecy, there is a tale of one who will bring it all back home again. Is Daniel…
Snappy Snippets: J.R. Proctor, Whitney Rose, Deni Gauthier
byFollowing Steve’s lead from our Snappy Snippets article two days ago, here at Team GDW HQ, we are also self-isolating and currently working from…
Commonwealth Connections: The Brokenwood Mysteries
byWith our spring travel plans and live concert events currently in limbo, Team GDW have resorted to sourcing entertainment from that big, flat thing…
Review: Blackie & The Rodeo Kings, “King Of This Town”
byIf you told me that you’d be providing me with the following names to collaborate with on my next recording, I’d say, “Thank you very much, we’ve got…
Review: Tami Neilson, “CHICKABOOM!”
byI really don’t like to be repetitive, and have lost count of how many articles have started out this way, but I heard this…
Snappy Singles: January Jams That Everybody Needs to Hear
byFor those of us in the northeast corner of the North American continent, it may be cold and wintry outside right now (we’re thinking…
Review: Kiefer Sutherland, “Reckless & Me”
byKiefer Sutherland has been a professional actor for many years, starring in movies like ‘Stand By Me’, ‘The Lost Boys’, ‘Young Guns’, Flatliners’, ‘A…
Elliott BROOD: Live at The Sanctuary
bySo there are things that we are guaranteed to experience on an annual basis, like birthdays, shoveling snow, and paying taxes, and then there…
Recap: Four Chords and the Truth
byA notable performer put it quite brilliantly from the stage recently, summing up what many people feel about this series, declaring “ This is…
Melanie Brulée: Intimate House Concert in Mansfield, PA
byPacking her suitcase and heading south of Toronto for a few weeks, alt-country singer-songwriter Melanie Brulée recently commenced her summer US East Coast tour;…
Review: Kae Shelby, “Music and Motorcycles”
byI listen to many fabulous releases every week as part of what I do, and sometimes an album that comes through the door just…
The Devin Cuddy Band: Live at The Dakota Tavern
byWith plans already made to be in the GTA this past weekend, the announcement of a Devin Cuddy Band concert taking place at The…
Colter Wall: Live at the Ardmore Music Hall
byWe have written extensively about the resurgence of both traditional and outlaw country music that has found a new home in Saskatchewan these days,…
Fresh Videos for #NewMusicFriday: Angela Saini, Rich Aucoin, Madison Violet, Alicia Toner
byWe’ve almost made it to April! On this final Friday in March, settle down with a hot cup of your favorite beverage and enjoy…
Alt-Country Artist Melanie Brulée Returns to Philadelphia
byAfter making her debut at the Philadelphia Folk Festival last summer, Melanie Brulée quickly earned an invitation back to perform for the Philadelphia Folksong…
2018 Year-End Roundup: Martin and Lesley Choose Their Final Four
byFrom Martin: Following up from my list earlier this week of my favorite 20 album releases in 2018, with so many fantastic albums to…
Top Albums of 2018 by Province – Lesley Carter
byWith the quantity of excellent music that comes out of Canada each year, it’s always a challenge to select a few favorites. As regular…
2018 Year-End Roundup: 10 Memorable Live Moments
byBefore we go ahead and tear down that old 2018 calendar from the wall, it’s time once again to look back at some of…
Doug Paisley: Debut Performance at Jammin’ Java
byWith the recent release of his latest “Starter Home” album, Toronto singer-songwriter Doug Paisley is just now wrapping up a small tour of the…
Interview: Denim Daddies, “Thinkin'”
byRecently we were fortunate to preview the Denim Daddies’ new EP, “Thinkin’.” Today, we’re delighted to follow that up with an interview with the…
Pre-Release Stream: The Denim Daddies, “Thinkin'”
byEdmonton alt-country outfit The Denim Daddies are set to release their second EP of 2018. “Thinkin’,” a three song EP that features a deeper…
Gossip Talkin’ Blues, Episode 34: Saskatchewan Music 101
byLocal music expert Taron Cochrane joins us to dish on all things Saskatchewan music. Songs from The Wolfe, Colter Wall, Nick Faye & the…
Snappy Snippets: The Heartaches Stringband, Chris Velan, Marlon Chaplin, Doris Folkens
byIt’s hard to believe that we are already well into the third season of the year, but there is no doubting that the onslaught…
Melanie Brulée: Album Launch at the Cadillac Lounge
byIn the short space of time that we have gotten to know alt-country artist Melanie Brulée, we have taken great pleasure in witnessing her…
Gossip Talkin’ Blues, Episode 32: Belle Plaine, “Malice, Mercy, Grief and Wrath”
byWe’re back from our hiatus and ready to bring you the best in Canadian music once again… this week, we feature Belle Plaine, who…
Melanie Brulée, “Fires, Floods & Things We Leave Behind”
byIt’s hard to believe that it was just a little over a year ago when we first became aware of musician Melanie Brulée, seeing…
Single: Nicole Rayy, “Bad Habit”
byOne of our personal goals during our second year here at Great Dark Wonder was to devote a little more blog-space for music reviews…
Review: Lindi Ortega, “Liberty”
byAs I relax and listen to the brand new album from Lindi Ortega in the summer of 2018, I do so with a very…
Snappy Snippets: Hadley McCall Thackston, Espanola, Claire Coupland, Jory Nash
by2018 continues to be a banner year for new music. Here at Great Dark Wonder, we continue to be overwhelmed with the influx of…
Review: Thomas Stajcer, “Will I Learn To Love Again?”
byRaised on a healthy dose of ‘old’ country music, and having enjoyed a short foray into the resurgence of country during the mid 1990s,…
Highlights from The Sound of Music Festival, Burlington, ON
byHaving enjoyed catching up with The Once during their Friday evening performance at the Sound Of Music Festival, Team GDW took delight in seeing…
#TuesdayTunesDay: New Song Roundup, 15 May 2018
byWe have a variety of new songs to share with you this time around, so pour a cup of your favorite morning drink and…