Toronto, ON, folk-roots duo Kennedy Road have just shared a new music video to accompany “The Heart Will Buzz,” a track taken from their recently released debut album, “A Little Fight Left Yet.” Comprised of Sheila Carabine (solo artist and one half of the JUNO nominated folk duo, Dala) and Brian MacMillan (solo artist, and collaborator with The Barenaked Ladies, The Wailin’ Jennys, and Lowest of the Low), Kennedy Road bring together two different artists from different musical backgrounds, but who combine to create some stunningly beautiful music.
The music video for “The Heart Will Buzz” features drone footage recorded over the picturesque Prince Edward County in ON, about two hours east of Toronto. “A great friend of ours, Jim Hardy, provided this incredible footage, and Josh Lyon worked his editing magic,” offers Sheila. “When we first saw the footage of the three deer run free, it quite literally took our breath away.” Written by Brian, this song was strategically placed as the opening track on the album. “This was one of the first songs written after we formed our duo two years ago,” Sheila recalls. “Brian sent me a voice memo, and there it was, in all its defiant and hopeful glory.”
Mesmerizing aerial footage of the skies blue hues and cloud cover is accompanied by some truly warm vocal harmonies from Brian and Sheila: “Look at that sky / It’s opening up like me / Way up above the canopy / You can see for miles and miles away / I see a little light from here / A glowing in the atmosphere / Something’s going to change.” It is impossible to ignore these remarkable panoramic views of rural Ontario, and to become intoxicated by how the sunlight glistens as it hits the camera lens. And not only are we emotionally entranced by the wildlife that comes into view, we are subconsciously captured by the duo’s soaring vocal delivery as they hit the chorus in full stride: “That’s the sound I’m dreaming of / Humming in the clouds above / It will find its way because / It always does / The heart will buzz.”
Kennedy Road will fill your eyes and ears with pure joy as they share both the images of Prince Edward County and their haunting harmonies. I only hope that you are prepared for the epic bridge that soon follows, raising the tempo and tugging on the heart-strings once more: “Can you find your own home? / And if you saw it, would you know it? / And I don’t mind, if you don’t own it / But if you feel it, go ahead and show it.” For Sheila, “The Heart Will Buzz” is summarized perfectly by the unscripted playfulness of the deer captured by the drone camera. “[It has] an unexpected moment of uplift and beauty, after what felt like a very long winter of isolation, fear and doubt,” she shares. “And Brian wrote this song BEFORE the pandemic. I think the video and song have taken on a whole new level of significance for us now. It’s about hope.”
Photo credit: Jen Squires
The British guy that crossed the ocean and crash landed in central Pennsylvania (to quote Greg Keelor, “And I wonder what am I doing here?”). As the youngest of four siblings, exposure to music from a very early age nurtured my passion and appreciation for many musical genres. Continuing to discover some amazingly diverse and talented musicians based in Canada, I gravitate to live music experiences and remain devoted to spreading the word about such a vibrant music scene.
