PONDERCAST SEASON 4 ADDS NEW GUIDED MEDITATION SERIES + MORE

BEGINNING TODAY, LAURIE BROWN WILL TAKE YOU THROUGH A GUIDED MEDITATION EVERY MONDAY

LISTEN TO PONDERCAST GUIDED MEDITATION 1 HERE

THIS FRIDAY’S REGULAR EPISODE FEATURES A BINAURAL AUDIO EXPERIENCE. BRING HEADPHONES!

LISTEN TO PONDERCAST : HEADPHONE UNIVERSE THIS FRIDAY HERE

THIS THURSDAY, SEP 3, CATCH A PONDERCAST ONLINE IMPROV SHOW VIA SIDE DOOR ACCESS AT 9PM EST. TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE

Welcome to Season 4 of Pondercast! New! Improved! Pondercast will now be publishing twice a week. Every Monday morning, starting today, Laurie Brown will post a 20 minute Guided Meditation. Meant for everyone - no experience necessary. Great way to start meditating, and a great way to find support and encouragement for your practise.

LISTEN TO PONDERCAST GUIDED MEDITATION 1 HERE

And every second Friday, we are now posting a Grounding Thought. We started these during the intense days of lockdown and we’ve heard from you that they helped. So count on 10 minute podcasts to help shift your perspective when your world threatens to overwhelm.

Every other Friday will still be the regular episodes you come to us for. (Thank you for seeking us out!) This Friday’s episode will be a special one. Designed to be listened to with headphones, Pondercast is taking a trip inside your head. Be prepared for quiet sounds and binaural awesomeness. For those of you with ASMR tendencies (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response), this ought to produce goosebumps!

Find your headphones, and a quiet place. All of these new offerings have original music from Joshua Van Tassel and they will all feel like Pondercast.

LISTEN TO PONDERCAST : HEADPHONE UNIVERSE THIS FRIDAY HERE

Pondercast is able to expand their offerings because of the support you have helped build on Patreon. We are really hoping that this new season will move you to become a monthly donor at www.patreon.com/Pondercast or, a one time donor on our website at www.pondercast.ca

For those of you who have already taken the Patreon plunge, thank you - your support has made this happen.

Plus! A live online Improv show is coming this Thursday, September 3rd at 9:00 PM EST! Tickets through Side Door Access here. 

Let the games begin.

 SUBSCRIBE TO PONDERCAST ON ITUNES / SPOTIFY / YOUTUBE

Recently, Killbeat Music partnered with the team at Pondercast to bring you Ponderbeat, a series of special episodes featuring selections curated by Brown from some of Killbeat’s latest releases. The seventh episode of Ponderbeat is live now, featuring music from Rich Aucoin, TOPS, Liza Anne, Reuben and the Dark and more.

 LISTEN TO KILLBEAT’S COLLABORATION WITH PONDERCAST - PONDERBEAT EPISODE 07 HERE

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CLOSE TALKER HOW DO WE STAY HERE? DELUXE EDITION OUT TODAY

HOW DO WE STAY HERE? DELUXE EDITION OUT TODAY VIA SLOW WEATHER

BUY / STREAM AND SHARE ‘HOW DO WE STAY HERE?’ DELUXE EDITION HERE

"Close Talker, has a way of burrowing deep under the skin.... the band recently unveiled another moody, sweetly impeccable gem in "Half Past Nine." Those bold, chiming guitars are back, this time in aid of a warmhearted rumination on moments we celebrate, romanticize and fight to preserve in our memories" – NPR

"The Change It Brings" is a softly ruminating track that tackles the most fickle theme of them all- time. Rolling over sinuous guitar layers and smatterings of melodic synths, lead singer Will's breathy vocals welcome you in like a hot cup of tea on a winter's day. The track then promptly sits you down and leaves you to reflect on your own memories while it soothingly plays the soundtrack to your mind. – Earmilk

“A song like "Half Past Nine" shows why the band has found success, it's full of heart and nostalgic longing for moments that have passed but have made a lasting effect for the better.” – The Wild Honey Pie

Photo Credit : Nicole Ens // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Today, Close Talker are releasing the deluxe version of How Do We Stay Here? via Slow Weather, which features five new songs including new single “Counterpart.”

“Counterpart” stems from “the loss of a relationship a friend of ours experienced a few years ago and the low feelings that followed,” the band says. “It’s about struggling to come to terms with those feelings, knowing you’ll be living in them for a while. Although a lot of our songs have some somber undertones, this one really doesn’t beat around the bush and is probably the saddest song we’ve written.”

STREAM AND SHARE “COUNTERPART” HERE
BUY, STREAM AND SHARE ‘HOW DO WE STAY HERE?’ DELUXE EDITION HERE

Close Talker has toured throughout North America and Europe, and has gained the attention and praise of notable publications such as NPR, Billboard, Clash, Spin, Q Magazine, and Consequence of Sound. The band works tirelessly on evolving every aspect of their craft, which has led to their strongest and most confident album to date: How Do We Stay Here?.

In so many ways How Do We Stay Here? marks a new chapter for the band. The three members leaned into the trust and foundation built over countless years of friendship to pursue a record that would be sustainable and timeless for them. Choosing to self-produce allowed the band to hold this album close to their chest while it developed organically over the course of 2018 at RMS Labs in Regina. Close Talker, now more than ever, is interested in music that is timeless - music that won’t force the listener into feeling a certain way. To achieve this, the band approached each song following a code of instincts and honesty, including a list of 10 commandments by which all decisions were filtered through. How Do We Stay Here? is a testament to the band’s integrity and a desire to produce music that is original and pure. It is an album the band wrote for themselves, in hopes that the songs would carry the same meaning in 10 years, as they do today.

LISTEN AND SHARE “SECOND BEST” HERE

How Do We Stay Here? (Deluxe Edition) Artwork // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

HOW DO WE STAY HERE? (DELUXE EDITION) TRACKLIST
Void
Wait
The Change It Brings
Arm's Length
Pace
Wandering
Half Past Nine
Carefully in the Dark
The Lake By The Hotel
All-Time
Refuge
Second Best
Counterpart
Stride
Stride (Reprise)
The Change It Brings - Nice. Remix

CLOSE TALKER ARE:
Will Quiring (vocals/guitar)
Matthew Kopperud (guitar/keyboard)
Christopher Morien (drums).

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THE ELWINS SHARE “DAUGHTER SONG” AHEAD OF NEW LP

NEW ALBUM, IV, TO BE RELEASED ON OCTOBER 23, 2020

BUY / STREAM “DAUGHTER SONG” HERE

WATCH / SHARE “DAUGHTER SONG” VISUALIZER HERE

“Newmarket quartet the Elwins unleash prolific and high-energy indie-rock sounds in their new single “Take Me All The Way.” The band combine guitar riffs straight from ’70s classic rock with modern powerhouse vocals to create a unique blend that’ll make you feel like a seasoned rock fan. Fans of the Black Keys will find much to love with these up-and-coming rockers. The catchy single will appear on their fourth studio LP due this fall.” - Alt Press

“’Take Me All The Way’ channels the best of various rock and roll elements found through different decades. Its catchy guitar hook is reminiscent of The Beatles and The Kinks, two of the bands biggest influences on their latest work.  The release is also accompanied by a throwback-style video directed by Wyatt Clough and filmed with retro lenses to give a film-noir classic rock feel.” – Earmilk

‘“Take Me All The Way” is a hard-hitting rock number…” – American Songwriter

“Daughter Song” Artwork // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Today, The Elwins are sharing “Daughter Song” from their recently announced upcoming LP, titled IV, out October 23, 2020. “This song was a bit of a trip for me,” says Francesco Figliomeni. “The lyrics and melody both basically came in one sitting and I felt really good about it. Even though I didn’t quite know what it was I was saying I felt really in tune with the emotion of it. We decided pretty early on in the process that we wanted to have some sort of string arrangement for it so we got in touch with the great Trey Pollard from Spacebomb Records whose work we have been fans of for a while now. In talking with him it really felt like he knew what we were going for and funnily enough in his description of his arrangement he kinda summarized the song better than I had been able to: ‘the swimming feeling of getting lost thinking about the complexities of life’.”

BUY / STREAM “DAUGHTER SONG” HERE

WATCH / SHARE “DAUGHTER SONG” VISUALIZER HERE

The Elwins, have made a decade-long career touring the world, selling out shows, and stealing fans’ hearts. Since the release of their first full-length release And I Thank You in 2012, the Toronto four piece band has become a staple at home and abroad. 

Back with their fourth LP, IV, band members Matthew Sweeney, Francesco Figliomeni, Feurd, and Travis Stokl recorded the new album in a handful of studios across Toronto. 

Produced by Feurd and mixed by JUNO award winning Jay Dufour, the latest collection of music is more direct and vulnerable than their previous releases. Now backed by their own independent label, Pink Eye Recordings, the band utilized their new freedom to play with different sounds and abilities. Leaning on each other, the band embraced new environments and methods, like renting out an old church, writing in the dark, and switching up instruments. The outcome is their most emotional and sweeping record to date. 

WATCH AND SHARE “WEIGHT OF THE WORLD” HERE
BUY / STREAM “WEIGHT OF THE WORLD HERE

The thirteen track album is haunting and heartbreaking in the best way possible. With sharp songwriting, classic tones. and creative textures, IV is a polished evolution that takes listeners back to the band’s roots. “Something Is Happening Here” kicks off the record with smooth harmonies and unflinching lyrics. Sweeney describes the song's origins as “someone helping you out when you’re in a rut, and making you believe in love again.” The first single from IV, “Take Me All The Way” is a classic rock anthem you can’t help but sing along to. Sung from a place of desperation, the infectiously melodic and emotional single is a glimpse into the rest of the album. “Weight of the World” is an eerie and introspective track, the heavy drums, ethereal vocals, and a stripped down chorus will leave you with goosebumps. Figliomeni’s voice shines in the album’s stripped-down track “Daughter Song”. 

WATCH AND SHARE “TAKE ME ALL THE WAY” HERE
BUY / STREAM “TAKE ME ALL THE WAY” HERE

The cinematic, yet delicate string ensemble is loaded with tender heartache alongside raw vocals.

Crafted to be listened to from start to finish, Each track on IV serves as a part of a larger narrative that has you placing the puzzle pieces together one-by-one. Described by Figliomeni as a “labour of love”, IV is not just an album, but an unique experience that sinks it’s hooks into your heart and doesn’t let go

Photo credit: Wyatt Clough // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

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IV TRACKLIST
01 Something Is Happening Here
02 Take Me All The Way
03 Rockin’ The Horse
04 Let Her Be The One
05 Giving Up On Yourself
06 I Will
07 Weight Of The World
08 Slow Motion
09 Backyard At My Mom’s
10 Hung Up
11 1971
12 Daughter Song
13 Hold On To Love

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