PIERRE KWENDERS ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM, SHARES NEW VIDEO

Photo Credit: Daniele Fummo // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Congolese-born, Montreal-based musician, songwriter, and DJ Pierre Kwenders announces his new album, José Louis and the Paradox of Love, out April 29 on Arts & Crafts, and today presents its lead single/video, “Papa Wemba.” Following MAKANDA at The End of Space, the Beginning of Time, Kwenders’s 2017 sophomore album, and Le Dernier Empereur Bantou, his 2014 debut – both of which earned Kwenders nominations for the Polaris Music Prize – José Louis and the Paradox of Love finds the artist arriving at a new juncture: a moment of resonance, carefully wrapped in freewheeling tapestry, hinged in reverence to its diverse heritage, yet reveling in the inventive combination of its elements. A storyteller at his core, Kwenders is motivated by the intricacies of love. His songs weave together narratives from memories of the past, sketches of his hometown, and reflections on the future. Recorded over four years in a handful of cities across borders and featuring numerous collaborators including Win Butler, King Britt, Ngabo, Sônge, anaiis, Babel Bukasa, Michael Brun, Uproot Andy, and the Africa Intshiyetu Choir, José Louis and the Paradox of Love is a culmination of personal growth and the musical dexterity Kwenders has honed over the years.

On today’s single, “Papa Wemba,” Kwenders pays strong homage to his homeland and all the people that have influenced him along the way. The song is a tribute to its namesake, the “King of Rumba Rock” and pioneer of the La Sape subcultural movement who died in 2016. 

“He’s been called the king of Congolese Rumba, Papa Wemba has also been one of my idols and biggest inspirations,” says Kwenders. “He has paved the way for so many artists and has brought Congolese Rumba to another extent. His passing in 2016 was devastating for all rumba lovers. I knew from that day that I wanted to pay homage to him. This video is a clin d’oeil to his essence and elegance. Being one of the founding fathers of La Sape, I wanted this video to showcase beauty and swagg as Papa Wemba would. Teaming up with (director) Daniel Amoakoh a dream come true. I knew he would bring the vision to life.” 

WATCH / SHARE “PAPA WEMBA” HERE

BUY / STREAM “PAPA WEMBA” HERE

Multi-instrumentalist Tendai Maraire (of Shabazz Palaces) lends his signature style to the piece, creating a gorgeous musical moment filled with a transcendent saxophone crescendo and a sprawling collage of jazz fusion, haunting rhythms and a shot of 90s synth-pop nostalgia. It is a song modeled on the concept of freedom; to be, to feel, to live. During his lifetime, Papa Wemba was a spirited and convivial man—a connoisseur of the good things in life. He dared to dream and thus inspired an entire generation, including Kwenders himself.

Born in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kwenders borrows his stage name from his late grandfather, a widely respected businessman and community figure. Following his mother’s footsteps, in 2001 Kwenders immigrated from Congo to Montreal. While his music-filled childhood quickly earned him a reputation as the most energetic dancer at family gatherings, it was when he joined a youth choir in 2008 that Kwenders would have his first formative musical experience. Inspired by “sagacité,” a way of life coined by Ivorian singer Douk Saga, which means to work hard in order to play hard, a decade later he’s established himself as an architect of modern African music, creating a unique blend of Afro-inflected electronic sounds inspired by Congolese rumba, propagated by the Moonshine collective, a post-border multidisciplinary artist collective co-founded by Kwenders in 2014 that celebrates diversity in dance culture.

José Louis and The Paradox of Love features Kwenders singing and rapping in Lingala, French, English, Tshiluba, and Kikongo as he weaves stories across the boundaries of language and geography. Symbolically titled after his birth name, José Louis Modabi, the album explores an ongoing search to grasp the universal complexities of romance, sometimes through the lens of Kwenders’ own intimate experiences. Through different moments of tension and release, romantic narratives of beauty and disaster are packed into powerful poetic musical vignettes.

Just as Kwenders writes from a multilingual perspective, so too does he draw on his musical influences, searching for the precise nuances offered by each one to best emotionally resonate. José Louis and The Paradox of Love transcends genres including electronic, pop, and rumba and includes instruments such as the guitar, saxophone, cello, trumpet, violin, and the Mbira, a plucked idiophone from Zimbabwe. 

Since the release of 2017’s MAKANDA at The End of Space, the Beginning of Time, Kwenders has collaborated with numerous artists including French producer Clément Bazin and the Brooklyn-based producer/Que Bajo party co-founder, Uproot Andy. In 2019, Kwenders joined forces with Ngabonziza Kiroko to form the future soul duo ABAKOS. Their debut album, Solar Soldier, was released in 2019, featuring production from prolific British electronic musician Jamie Lidell.

Kwenders today also announces live performances in Toronto on May 4 at The Music Gallery and in Montreal on May 6 at Phi Centre. At the time of writing, Kwenders is in his hometown of Kinshasa for the launch of “Papa Wemba”, hosting an intimate listening party today at Bar À Vins in Commune de Gombe.

PRE-ORDER JOSÉ LOUIS AND THE PARADOX OF LOVE HERE

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JOSÉ LOUIS AND THE PARADOX OF LOVE TRACKLIST
1. L.E.S (Liberté Égalité Sagacité) (Feat. Win Butler, King Britt)
2. Your Dream (Feat. Ngabo)
3. No No No
4. Imparfait (Feat. Sônge)
5. Papa Wemba
6. Religion désir
7. Makambo Ya Gaga (skit)
8. Heartbeat (feat. anaiis)
9. Kilimanjaro
10. Coupé
11. Sahara
12. Radio trottoir (interlude) (Feat. Babel Bukasa)
13. Church (Likambo) (Feat. Africa Intshiyetu Choir)


PIERRE KWENDERS LIVE

May 4 - Toronto, ON - The Music Gallery | Tickets

May 6 - Montreal, QC - Phi Centre | Tickets

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DONOVAN WOODS ANNOUNCES NEW EP, SHARES NEW SINGLE

BIG HURT BOY EP OUT MARCH 18 VIA END TIMES MUSIC

WATCH / SHARE “I WON’T MENTION IT AGAIN” VISUALIZER
BUY / STREAM “I WON’T MENTION IT AGAIN” HERE 

CANADIAN TOUR DATES BEGIN APRIL 20 - TICKETS ON SALE HERE

Photo Credit: Bree Fisher // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Today, JUNO Award winning singer-songwriter Donovan Woods has released a new single, “I Won’t Mention It Again” to announce his latest effort, the Big Hurt Boy EP, for a March 18 release via his own End Times Music. Woods will head out on tour across Canada in support, with U.S. dates to be announced in the coming weeks. 

Woods was in on the joke when he named Big Hurt Boy. Riffing on a lyric from a Martin Simpson song (“Never Any Good”), the six-song collection explores how our failures — and our fixations on them — not only shape but enlighten us. “I write about them again and again, just hoping people will still be interested. So the title is poking fun of myself, that I’m theoretically this big sad guy who keeps getting dumped and writing fucking songs about it,” he notes. Or you could think of it this way: Woods’ deep curiosity about the human condition is why we so clearly hear our own stories in his. The details differ, the characters change, but at their core, Donovan's songs are for and about everyone.

WATCH / SHARE “I WON’T MENTION IT AGAIN” VISUALIZER
BUY / STREAM “I WON’T MENTION IT AGAIN” HERE 

“I Won’t Mention It” Single Art // DOWNLOAD HIGH RES

With this record, Woods looked to capture more of an ‘undone’ quality, wanting to “get back to the feeling that my early recordings had,” notes the winner of the 2019 JUNO Award for Contemporary Roots Album (for Both Ways). And yet, while Big Hurt Boy was recorded largely live, harnessing the electricity of a roomful of musicians laying down tracks in the studio, the collection brims with some of the luminous production touches Woods has been adding to this repertoire lately, such as on “I Won’t Mention It Again”, which opens featuring just Woods on banjo and vocals, before fading into a spectral backdrop of electronic textures and layers of lush harmonies.

Woods released a first taste of Big Hurt Boy, “I Hope You Change Your Mind” co-written with David Hodges (Maren Morris, Carrie Underwood, Ed Sheeran), this past autumn, an understated tearjerker on tune. Wrapping a transformative year for Woods, which began with the release of a deluxe edition of his acclaimed 2020 album Without People, featured a duet with GRAMMY Award winning singer-songwriter Aoife O’Donovan on “IOWA”, and a foray into anthemic dance pop as the featured vocalist on Dabin & Nurko’s “When This Is Over”.

WATCH / SHARE “I HOPE YOU CHANGE YOUR MIND” LYRIC VIDEO HERE
 BUY / STREAM “I HOPE YOU CHANGE YOUR MIND” HERE

Along with his work as an in-demand songwriter, whose work has been recorded by the likes of Tim McGraw (“Portland, Maine”) and Lady A’s Charles Kelley (“Leaving Nashville”), and co-writes with a diverse group of songwriters, such as Tom Douglas, Lori McKenna, Brandy Clark, Ashley Monroe, Dustin Christensen, Femke Weidema, Steve Robson, and Ed Robertson (Barenaked Ladies), a budding truth about Woods has emerged: as respected as he is as a solo artist, he’s evolving and upending our expectations of how his music sounds. His songs have grown more dimensional, emboldened by new sonic landscapes, reminding us that classic songwriting transcends genre.

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BIG HURT BOY TRACK LIST
01. I Won’t Mention It Again
02. Leave When You Go [feat. Ralph]
03. I Hope You Change Your Mind
04. Cheyenne
05. A Picture Of Us Smiling At A Party 5 Years Ago
06. No Time Soon

DONOVAN WOODS TOUR DATES // Tickets Here
04/20 – Sarnia, ON @ Imperial Theatre
04/21 – Sarnia, ON @ Imperial Theatre
04/22 – Meaford, ON @ Meaford Hall
04/23 – Huntsville, ON @ Algonquin Theatre
04/28 – Kingston, ON @ Sydenham Church
04/29 – Kitchener, ON @ Centre in the Square
04/30 – London, ON @ London Music Hall
05/04 – Vancouver, BC @ Hollywood Theatre
05/05 – Vancouver, BC @ Hollywood Theatre
05/08 – Edmonton, AB @ Winspear Centre
05/09 – Calgary, AB @ Jack Singer Concert Hall
05/10 – Saskatoon, SK @ Broadway Theatre
05/11 – Saskatoon, SK @ Broadway Theatre
05/12 – Winnipeg, MB @ Burton Cummings Theatre
05/17 – Ottawa, ON @ National Arts Centre
05/18 – Ottawa, ON @ National Arts Centre
05/19 – Montreal, QC @ L’Astral
05/27 – Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall

PRAISE FOR DONOVAN WOODS:

"He’s got a knack for slice-of-life storytelling that blends heartache and hooks." - Rolling Stone

“Donovan Woods is no stranger to making music that tugs at the heart-strings.” - The FADER

“Woods' brand of folk-pop is both grand and unassuming.” – The Line of Best Fit

“Capturing the early optimism of new-found love, the singer pours his heart out for this emotional and moving tune.”  - Wonderland

DONOVAN WOODS ONLINE
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About End Times Music
Founded by Donovan Woods and his long-time manager Michelle Szeto, the core of End Times’ mission is transparency and adaptability. In the world of streaming, the data is available. Artists should understand their expenses and their earnings as well as anyone they work with. It allows us to interpret and react to how, why, and where songs are being discovered. 

There are many pathways to success, and success looks different to everyone. Every artist and every project is unique and artists should be confident that the team built around them is being created thoughtfully and purposefully in service of their individuality. 

We’ll focus on songwriters, regardless of genre, and work together to make their music valuable by getting it to people who will use it and love it.

END X MUSIC ONLINE
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JERRY LEGER ANNOUNCES NEW LP, NOTHING PRESSING, SHARES VIDEO FOR FIRST TRACK

Photo Credit : Laura Proctor  // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Jerry Leger has been making the most of his time while off the road due to the pandemic. In 2020 Leger published his first book of poetry Just the Night Birds, made a film for his mailing list subscribers The Apartment Show He Never Gave, while releasing what he terms a “surprise” album, Songs from the Apartment. 

Today, Leger announces his upcoming album, Nothing Pressing, out March 16, 2022 via Latent Recordings, and is sharing the new video for album single, “Have You Ever Been Happy?”. "The opening line (‘break in the new world but let me keep my job’) is hopeful, it's actually quite a hopeful song,” says Leger. “I like to think that real happiness involves being respectful, appreciative and considerate. The words have these deeper layers and questions but Angie Hilts singing with me really lifts it up to a nice place. It's just fun and fortunate to play rock 'n' roll with my friends and we've all needed some fun these days."

Video director Colin Medley says, "The concept for this video was simple: show everything leading up to a standard music video type performance, without really showing the performance at all. I think we were all feeling like making something fun and casual, and showing off the sense of camaraderie among friends who haven’t been together in a while. The clincher for me was when Jerry mentioned he lived across the street from a bowling alley. From there it came together in about 5 seconds."

WATCH / SHARE “HAVE YOU EVER BEEN HAPPY?” HERE

BUY / STREAM “HAVE YOU EVER BEEN HAPPY?” HERE

“Have You Ever Been Happy?” Single Artwork // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

MORE ABOUT NOTHING PRESSING
Leger’s previous album, Songs from the Apartment was a stripped-down lo-fi affair recorded in his home using a cheap tape recorder with an internal microphone. Two songs from the current album, “Underground Blues” and “Sinking In”, were also recorded in Leger’s home, this time using two SM58 microphones fed into his vintage 1981 Tascam 4-track tape recorder. The remaining nine tracks included on Nothing Pressing present Leger’s work in two starkly contrasting soundscapes. “Nothing Pressing”, “Protector”, and “Still Patience”, are solo acoustic recordings cut live in the studio with little embellishment save Dan Mock’s overdubbed harmony vocals and, on the title track, producer Michael Timmins’ ukulele. The other six tracks are prime roots rock and roll featuring his long-time band The Situation (drummer Kyle Sullivan and bass player Dan Mock). Among the latter songs, “Kill It With Kindness” and “Have You Ever Been Happy?” have the kind of drive, energy and spirit that  are sure to make them highlights of his future live shows.

Leger often times finds himself at a loss as to explain the source of his songs. He feels his  songwriting, while clearly drawing on experiences filtered through a panoply of influences, often verges on being a supernatural experience. Over the course of the eleven songs on Nothing Pressing, the songwriter’s songwriter engages with questions of existence, mortality, hope, trust, and heartbreak while simultaneously conjuring feelings of isolation, reflection, longing, and gratitude.  

Paired with such evocative lyrics are wonderfully crafted melodies, soulful vocals, and the spirit and energy of a mature songwriter, comfortable in his skin and growing as an artist with every release. Nothing Pressing serves a wonderfully refreshing tonic in troubling times.

Born in the mid-80s, singer-songwriter Jerry Leger came of age in the Upper Beaches area of  Toronto. Surrounded by music from a young age, his grandfather first turned him onto Hank  Williams, constantly playing the youngster a plethora of the honky tonk master’s great  recordings. Although Williams’ voice came from another world in terms of time, geography,  and class, Leger was intrigued by the ways that Williams’ songs told a story and often conjured up mysterious images in his head. Other seminal influences were slowly added including John Lennon (and the Beatles), Bob Dylan, Lightnin' Hopkins, Leonard Cohen, Elvis Costello, Neil Young, the Everly Brothers, Tom Waits, and Gordon Lightfoot. 

In 2005 as Leger turned nineteen he cut his first independently released album. In the sixteen  years since then the multi-talented singer-songwriter has recorded nine additional studio  albums as well as one live compilation under his own name. In 2014 he was signed to the  Cowboy Junkies’ label, Latent Recordings, releasing the critically acclaimed Early Riser that  same year. His second Latent release, Nonsense and Heartache, followed in 2017. A year  later the two-album set was picked up by Proper Records for distribution in the U.K and  Europe, leading to extensive touring throughout the continent, in the process opening up a  whole new audience for Leger’s finely crafted songs. With his next Latent album, 2019’s Time Out for Tomorrow, Leger began to receive positive notices in such high-profile music  magazines as Uncut and Rolling Stone. 

A restless hungry spirit, when not performing and recording under his own name, Leger stays busy with a plethora of side projects including The Del Fi’s (loose improvisatory rock and  roll) and the Bop Fi’s (Leger reciting his poetry over jazz accompaniment). He has also been known to work under the pseudonym Hank Holly (bonus points go to those who can figure out where that name came from!). 

PRE-SAVE NOTHING PRESSING HERE

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NOTHING PRESSING TRACKLIST
Nothing Pressing
Kill It With Kindness
Recluse Revisions
Wait A Little Longer
Still Patience
Underground Blues
Have You Ever Been Happy?
With Only You
Sinking In
A Page You've Turned
Protector

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