GHOST WOMAN UNVEILS NEW VIDEO FOR “ALONG”

WATCH / SHARE “ALONG” HERE
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NEW SELF-TITLED LP OUT JULY 6, 2022 VIA VICTORY POOL

Photo Credit : Self-Portrait // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Today, Ghost Woman unveils the new video for “Along” from their upcoming self-titled LP, out in Canada via Victory Pool and via Full Time Hobby everywhere else on July 6, 2022.

When I first brought on to help shoot some videos for Ghost Woman, we didn't have any concrete ideas,” reflects videographer Laura La France. “My pal Hannah had been renovating her new house, so I just went over there one evening with a single cart of Super 8 and a painting lamp and we shot some off-the-cuff film in different parts of the house. Months later, when Evan was looking through footage for A-Long, he noticed that the entire 3 minutes of that Super 8 cart synced perfectly with the song! It looked just like we had planned it all out all a-long.” 

WATCH / SHARE “ALONG” HERE
BUY / STREAM “ALONG” HERE

MORE ABOUT GHOST WOMAN
The album brims with self-produced and self-performed Anatolian sounds and lo-fi hooks. Subscribing to the school of authenticity songwriter Evan John Uschenko seemingly shares with rebellious new-psych classmates Kurt Vile or The Black Angels, Ghost Woman takes its inspiration largely from groups like Can, Beak, Jefferson Airplane, The Byrds, and The Firesign Theatre

Given Ghost Woman’s inspiration, it’s no wonder the album’s sometimes krautrock groove is often thwarted by the unapologetic exploration of heartbreak and misplaced expectations; But heartbreak ain’t the only unsuccessful temptress at the band’s doorstep.

“Not only did we have a rehearsal space catch fire and ruin some of our gear but this last year my van got broken into and ripped off some of my favourite guitars and amps. I try not to let that bug me too much, and luckily they were cheap-o Sears-Roebuck / Stencil amps / Japanese knock-offs,” he rambles with a morning coffee and cigarette in hand. “A few road bumps can’t stop us. It's only gonna make us come back stronger.”

 Ghost Woman’s blissfully hypnotic world is the creation of melodic maniac, Evan John Uschenko. Beating the odds of life as a busy touring musician, salvaging and replacing his instruments from burned down rehearsal spaces, van break-ins and far too many relocations to list, Uschenko has transformed his lifelong habit of homespun sonic exploration into a sensory ‘mix and match’ experience destined for the main stage.

WATCH / SHARE “BEHIND YOUR EYES” HERE
BUY / STREAM “BEHIND YOUR EYES” HERE

 “When I record songs I tend not to approach them with any preconceived idea,” He says, staring at the ceiling. “I take a seat, tune the guitar and enjoy myself. It’s always been like that for me. If it don’t turn you on, what’s the point?”

Evan’s sonic and literal adventures as a touring multi-instrumentalist with songwriter / producer / guitarist Michael Rault saw him share international stages with the likes of Jacco Gardner, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, and The Mild High Club who unwittingly paved the way for Ghost Woman’s inevitable incarnation.

“Having the opportunity to witness those groups perform was inspiring to say the least. Especially Gizz and Jacco. The attention to detail, professionalism as a touring act and the extra effort put into creating a killer live show doesn’t go unnoticed. It’s a calibre I’m just not used to where I’m from,” Uschenko laughs. “When the tours were wrapped, I got home and immediately started writing music. And music with a live show in mind”

WATCH / SHARE “CLOCKWORK” HERE
BUY / STREAM “CLOCKWORK” HERE

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GHOST WOMAN TRACKLIST
01 All The Time
02 Do You
03 Dead & Gone
04 Along
05 Clockwork
06 Behind Your Eyes
07 All Your Love
08 Jreaming
09 Good
10 Comes On

EUROPEAN TOUR DATES
1-6-2022 DE      Haldern Pop Bar, Haldern
5-6-2022 FR       Levitation France, Angers
8-6-2022 IT        Beaches Brew, Ravenna

 GHOST WOMAN ONLINE
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JEAN-MICHEL BLAIS AUBADES NOW ON DOLBY ATMOS, 2022 TOUR DATES CONTINUE

AUBADES, THE POST-CLASSICAL ICON’S FIRST ENSEMBLE RECORD, AVAILABLE NOW ON DOLBY ATMOS ON APPLE MUSIC HERE

2022 TOUR DATES CONTINUES WITH STOPS AT MONTREAL JAZZ FEST, NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE, AND KOERNER HALL - TICKETS HERE

WATCH / SHARE ‘MAKING OF AUBADES’ DOCUMENTARY HERE

BUY / STREAM AUBADES (EVERYWHERE ELSE) HERE

“From its opening notes, it whisks listeners away. On the new album from the esteemed post-classical pianist, Blais is in perpetual bloom, moved by life's beauty and nature's song.” - Exclaim!

“...aubades finds Blais conducting a 12-person ensemble, filling in his beautiful piano melodies with lush instrumentation that brings his music to new heights.” - CBC MUSIC 

Photo Credit : William Arcand // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Since Jean-Michel Blais released aubades earlier this year, the post-classical piano icon has found his first ensemble LP as the 8th highest selling album in Canada in 2022, alongside global superstars like Adele, Taylor Swift, and the Weeknd

aubades marked the Montreal-born musician’s transition from pianist to composer, writing for an ensemble for the first time in his career. Written during the pandemic and following a breakup, Blais used his distinctive musical voice to create a defiantly uplifting record with glistening instrumental textures and warm major tonalities. The album’s title refers to the “aubade”, a Middle Ages morning love song about lovers separating at daybreak, a dawn serenade. 

The album is now available on Dolby ATMOS on Apple Music

“Listening to aubades on ATMOS means finding yourself at the very heart of the chamber orchestra, surrounded by twelve musicians who play the album just for you!” says Blais. “Never has a mix been so realistic, vibrant, organic, tangible, true to itself."

AUBADES AVAILABLE NOW ON DOLBY ATMOS ON APPLE MUSIC HERE

WATCH / SHARE ‘MAKING OF AUBADES’ DOCUMENTARY HERE

This Summer and Fall, Jean-Michel Blais will continue supporting aubades with performances throughout Quebec and Ontario. It will include a stop at Montreal Jazz Fest with an orchestra of 12 musicians for what promises to be a very special show as well as performances at Ottawa’s National Arts Centre and Koerner Hall in Toronto. Full tour dates can be found below and tickets are available here.

WATCH / SHARE “PASSEPIED” HERE

MORE ABOUT AUBADES
Jean-Michel Blais has been a celebrated figure in the post-classical piano world since the release of his critically-acclaimed debut album II in 2016. He attended Quebec’s prestigious Trois-Rivières Music Conservatory but left after two years of study, exhausted by the restraints of the traditional music curriculum. Blais then travelled widely before retraining as a special education teacher. Whilst working as a teacher, he returned to music on his own terms, rediscovering his passion through improvising on the piano. These improvisations formed the basis of a recording career that has earned him two Polaris Music Prize nominations, a #1 on the Billboard Classical chart and a Time Magazine top ten album of the year. 

Despite the difficult global and personal backdrop, Blais described the time writing this album as a “fruitful moment of creativity for me. We started having hares in the park, beautiful butterflies flying everywhere. It was a time of lots of blossoming, and also a moment when I blossomed from being a pianist into a composer.” Musical ideas captured in over 500 recorded piano improvisations were transformed by Blais into 11 compositions performed by a 12-person ensemble. During the composition process, Blais collaborated with Alex Weston, former music assistant to Philip Glass. The musicians were recorded with close-up microphones, creating a richly intimate atmosphere that captures the human behind each instrument, from the mechanics of the woodwind keys to the snap of a double bass string. 

Blais also consciously found himself leaning towards major tonalities, which he believes are surprisingly rare in modern classical piano music. “With this album, I was definitely responding to certain trends,” Blais reckons. “For example, the fact that the solo piano tends to sound melancholic. That’s good, but I’ve done that already, I wanted to go beyond that.”

In aubades, every instrument is given moments of expression to an extent that took the players by surprise. Blais says, “there’s often been this dominant idea in classical music that one instrument is the chief, the king of all the instruments, and the others are in the background merely supporting.” He was inspired by more democratic musical textures from the Renaissance and Middle Ages, as well as the social democratic artistic ethos of the English 19th century poet, designer and activist William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement. 

Jean-Michel Blais will be taking aubades on the road in 2022. Full tour dates can be found below.

BUY / STREAM AUBADES HERE

2022 TOUR DATES
08/06/22 Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC - SPEC du haut-Richelieu
15/06/22 Joliette, QC - Centre culturel Desjardins - Salle Rolland-Brunelle
09/07/22 Montréal, QC - Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier (Festival International de Jazz de Montréal)
01/09/22 Victoriaville, QC - Le Carré 150 - Salle Les Frères-Lemaire
02/09/22 L’assomption, QC - Théâtre Hector-Charland03/09/22 Laval, QC - Salle André-Mathieu
08/09/22 Gaspé, QC - Salle de spectacles de Gaspé
09/09/22 Carleton-sur-Mer, QC - Studio Hydro-Québec du Quai des arts
10/09/22 Rimouski, QC - Salle Desjardins-Telus
12/09/22 Sept-Îles, QC - Salle Jean-Marc Dion
13/09/22 Baie-Comeau, QC - Centre des arts de Baie-Comeau
15/09/22 Saguenay, QC - Théâtre Banque Nationale
16/09/22 Dolbeau-Mistassini, QC - Salle Desjardins Maria-Chapdelaine
17/09/22 Alma, QC - Salle Michel-Côté
22/09/22 Rivière-du-Loup, QC - Centre culturel Berger - Salle Alphonse Desjardins
24/09/22 Terrebonne, QC - Théâtre du Vieux-Terrebonne
26/09/22 Amos, QC - Théâtre des Eskers
27/09/22 La Sarre, QC - Salle de spectacles Desjardins
28/09/22 Rouyn-Noranda, QC - Théâtre du Cuivre
30/09/22 Val-d’Or, QC - Théâtre Télébec
02/10/22 Shawinigan, QC - Centre des arts de Shawinigan - Salle Philippe-Filion
04/10/22 Brossard, QC - L’Étoile Banque Nationale
05/10/22 Longueuil, QC - Théâtre de la Ville - Salle Pratt & Whitney
07/10/22 Beloeil, QC - Centre culturel de Beloeil
08/10/22 Baie-du-Febvre, QC - Théâtre Belcourt
13/10/22 Saint-Irénée, QC - Domaine forget de Charlevoix
14/10/22 St-Eustache, QC - Le Zénith Promutuel Assurance
18/10/22 Brooklyn, NY - National Sawdust
20/10/22 Ottawa, ON - National Arts Centre
20/01/23 Toronto, ON - Koerner Hall

JEAN-MICHEL BLAIS ONLINE
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CHEMICAL CLUB SIGN TO ARTS & CRAFTS, SHARE NEW SINGLE

OTTAWA DUO CHEMICAL CLUB (MEMBERS OF FANCLUBWALLET) SIGN TO ARTS & CRAFTS

WATCH / SHARE “SPRING” HERE
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Photo Credit: Ian Filipovic  // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Ottawa-duo Chemical Club have released “Spring”, an upbeat, seasonally-appropriate indie rock single alongside the announcement that they've signed to independent record label Arts & Crafts. “The song is inspired by the feeling of jumping on your bike and riding down to the water in the early days of spring,” explains the band. “After a long, cold winter cooped up inside, those first ventures out under the warmth of the sun instill so much wonder.”

Every spring’s a new beginning / Shed the decades of dead ends

Everyone’s born disappearing / Just to end then bloom again 

Over a driving rhythm section and shimmering guitars that evoke comparisons to melodic alternative bands like Phoenix and Wallows, ​​“Spring” takes this excitement for the changing seasons and applies it to all of life’s changes. “We often cling onto the familiar and shy away from the new,” says the duo. “However, in change there is so much potential for growth and discovery that we often miss out on because we are focused on preserving the past. In short, “Spring” explores moving the focus from preserving the past to embracing the future.” The track is taken from a forthcoming EP scheduled for August 2022.

WATCH / SHARE “SPRING” HERE
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“Spring” Cover Art  // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Chemical Club is the project of Eric Graham (he/him) and Michael Watson (they/them), both of whom perform in fanclubwallet, with Watson also working as fanclubwallet's co-writer and producer. Graham and Watson perform tight, catchy indie pop songs, perfect for road trips or coming of age soundtracks, that deftly weave naturalistic lyrics with reflections on love, death, insecurity, and growth. Having grown up around the corner from each other, the pair didn’t truly connect until their teen years when they began playing together in garage bands. In 2019, they formed Chemical Club and have since released a series of homespun, self-released singles and EPs that’ve earned them a passionate following over the course of the pandemic.

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