ARIEL POSEN UNVEILS NEW SINGLE FROM UPCOMING EP

WATCH / SHARE “BE ENOUGH” TODAY HERE
BUY / STREAM “BE ENOUGH” TOMORROW HERE

DOWNTOWN EP SET FOR RELEASE JULY 29, 2022

PRE-SAVE DOWNTOWN EP HERE

PRE-ORDER DOWNTOWN EP ON VINYL HERE

“One of my favourite guitarists has a new album out. Great songs with great changes and great playing” John Mayer

"He cannot be stopped. ...showing off not only his guitar playing but his songwriting" - Talia Schlanger (On CBC q)

“smooth, soulful... The expertly self-produced sound is a nice mixture of slide guitar, bass, and that popping percussion, with Ariel’s creamy vocals on top.” - Great Dark Wonder

“Be Enough” Single Art // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Next month, Ariel Posen will release his new EP, Downtown, a collection of five songs that “I absolutely love, but didn't quite hear them on albums outside of one that could just keep them together in one,” says Posen.

Today he shares “Be Enough” from the album, a song about “never feeling like you are quite good enough to be that person for the one you care about,” he says. “No matter all the things you do, and despite all your good intentions, you still come up short. At least in your mind…”

WATCH / SHARE “BE ENOUGH” TODAY HERE
BUY / STREAM “BE ENOUGH” TOMORROW HERE

MORE ABOUT THE DOWNTOWN EP
Musically, Downtown explores some new territories which Posen felt “like there were some extremely exciting musical things happening. Therefore, it felt right to make the Downtown EP. I love each of these songs, and they really have a cohesiveness.”

The album was recorded in the Summer and Fall of 2021 in Montreal, Winnipeg, and Norwich, UK, and then mixed in Los Angeles. “Although we were all afar when we recorded this project, I feel like we could not have been more in tune with each other and understood the assignment in serving these songs to bring a musical and lyrical theme to fruition,” says Posen.

WATCH / SHARE “DOWNTOWN” LYRIC VIDEO HERE
BUY / STREAM “DOWNTOWN” HERE

MORE ABOUT ARIEL POSEN
Ariel Posen's music occupies the space between genres. It's a rootsy sound that nods to his influences — heartland rock & roll, electrified Americana, blue-eyed soul, R&B, Beatles-inspired pop — while still moving forward, pushing Posen into territory that's uniquely his own.

Posen began recording his last album, Headway, in December 2019, one week after wrapping up an international tour in support of his acclaimed debut, How Long. He'd been on the road for a year and a half, playing shows across the U.K., Europe, America, and his native Canada. Along the way, Posen had received standing ovations not only from his audiences, but also from outlets like Rolling Stone, who dubbed him "a modern-day guitar hero," Music Radar listing him as a fan voted top 10 rock guitarist of the year and the Western Canadian Music Awards who nominated him for Breakout Artist of the Year." 

WATCH / SHARE “ALWAYS SAW COMING” HERE
BUY / STREAM “ALWAYS SAW COMING” HERE

Coming back home to Winnipeg, he began sifting through the new songs he'd written between tour dates. Many of them had already been tested on the road, their arrangements whittled into shape by a group of road warriors at the top of their game. Practically all of them were about the process of evolution — of making progress in life, love, and all points in between. Those themes were reflected in the music itself, which presented a crisper, clearer picture of Posen as a songwriter.

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DOWNTOWN EP TRACKLIST
01 Be Enough
02 Say It Again
03 Always Saw Coming
04 Downtown
05 Betters On The Way

TOUR DATES
July 3 - Montreal, QC - Montreal Jazz Fest
July 28 - Boulder, CO - Dairy Arts Center
July 29 - Los Alamos, NM - Ashley Pond
July 30 - Denver, CO - Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom
Aug 5 - Haapsalu, ES - Augustibluus Festival
Aug 18 - Westport, CT - Levitt Pavilion
Aug 19 - Waterbury Center, VT - Zenbarn
Aug 21 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Bowl
Aug 22 - Utica, NY - Levitt AMP
Aug 26 - Ontonogan, MI - Porcupine Mountain Festival
Aug 27 - Chicago, IL - Navy Pier
Aug 28 - Chicago, IL - Schubas
Aug 30 - Rockford, IL - Andersen Japanese Gardens
Sept 27 - Glasgow, UK - Broadcast 
Sept 28 - Ashington, UK - Whitehouse 
Sept 29 - Derby, UK - The Flowerpot 
Sept 30 - London, UK - Islington Academy 
Oct 1 - Birmingham, UK - Institute 3 
Oct 3 - Bristol, UK - Thekla 
Oct 4 - Guildford, UK - Boileroom 
Oct 5 - Nijmegen, NL - Doornroosje 
Oct 6 - Eindhoven, NL - Effenaar
Oct 7 - Rotterdam, NL - Rotown 
Oct 8 - Utrecht, NL - Tivoli Vrendenburg
Oct 9 - Groningen, NL - Oosterpoort 
Oct 11 - Cologne, DE - Jaki
Oct 12 - Copenhagen, DK - Amager Bio Beta 
Oct 13 - Odense, DK - Dexter 
Oct 14 - Hamburg, DE - Notchwache
Oct 15 - Berlin, DE - Privat Club  

Photo Credit : Nate Forest // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

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MIKE EDEL SHARES “DOMINO” FROM UPCOMING LP, ANNOUNCES TOUR DATES

Photo Credit: Bryan Van Wyk // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

For Mike Edel, the new album casseroles & flowers not only sees the celebrated songwriter crafted a series of optimistic melodies that perfectly hold the tension between hardship and heart, but he did it while recovering from a stroke he suffered in April 2021. The sudden event occurred as Edel and his wife were on tour playing outdoor shows and living in a converted van in an effort to keep performing in a covid-compromised live event landscape. These experiences unravel before us in the extremely personal casseroles & flowers. 

On the new single “domino”, Edel recounts his stroke, in which the entire album is derived from, in vivid detail. Equally intimate and devastating the song is singer-songwriter, vocal forward and has beautiful flashes of melody and texture supporting the lyrics 'next thing I know, falling like a domino.' 

“domino” was the “first song written, and the catalyst for this whole project,” says Edel. “The song is recounting the exact moments of having my stroke. This whole record has felt part rehab activity both physically and emotionally; I'm really glad to get this song out and I don't think I've ever written one more for myself than this one. After Alex (co-writer) and I wrote most of this song, we showed it to my wife Alissa and we couldn't make it through the song with all 3 of us crying. I also filmed the whole session and have footage of all this.”

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

“domino” Single Artwork // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

This summer, Edel will be returning to the road in support of casseroles & flowers. Full tour dates can be found below and more information is HERE.

MORE ABOUT MIKE EDEL
After confidently walking again and rehabbing 5 hours per day, Edel turned his attention to what he found most difficult: playing guitar. Still unable to hold a pick and play many of his own songs, Edel and Alexandra Niedzialkowski (Cumulus) co-wrote most of the album and explored themes of death, renewal, grace, physical deficiencies and fatherhood as Edel experienced them in hospitals, vans, basement suites, and new towns.

WATCH / SHARE “CASSEROLES & FLOWERS” LYRIC VIDEO HERE
BUY  / STREAM “CASSEROLES & FLOWERS” HERE

With the new LP, Edel not only makes his self-production debut, but also his filmmaking debut. “For 4 months I was very motivated to diligently play with rubber bands, rice, puddy, and put baseball men stamps on my chart, but I knew in order to keep progressing I needed to channel my energies into what I loved most,” says Edel. Over the span of a year, Edel portrays his and his wife’s journey. The project documents their move into the van, the stroke, recovery, pregnancy, the welcoming of their first child, and Edel’s journey to play his ‘Can I Still Do This?’ first post-stroke concert and tour. 

WATCH / SHARE “CASSEROLES & FLOWERS” DOCUMENTARY TRAILER HERE

Edel approaches his limitations and unusual challenges with an unvarnished truthfulness, and paradoxical burst of vibrancy. Through it he is relatable and charming, often speaking and singing to listeners like they’re old friends. Fueled by the support of his community, casseroles & flowers is Edel’s best yet.

Edel has over 6 million cross-platform streams and has been featured on ABC’s American Idol, extensively on CBC and CBC q, on Sirius XM’s The Verge, The Loft, North Americana and CBC Radio 3 and played hundreds of shows and festivals across North America and in Europe.

WATCH / SHARE “ILLUSIONS BY THE SEA” HERE
BUY / STREAM “ILLUSIONS BY THE SEA” HERE

I CAN STILL DO THIS TOUR
MIKE EDEL SOLO BACKYARD CONCERTS

7/23 Chilliwack, BC Tickets
7/24 Vancouver, BC Tickets
7/27 Duncan, BC City Square
7/28 Cumberland, BC Summer Concert Series
7/30 Victoria, BC Tickets
7/31 Sooke, BC (Private Show)
8/5 Calgary, AB Tickets
8/6 Red Deer, AB Tickets
8/7 Edmonton, AB Tickets
8/12 Carstairs, AB (Private Show)
8/13 Lethbridge, AB Tickets
8/14 Medicine Hat, AB Tickets
8/15 Brooks, AB Tickets
8/17 Helena, MT TBC
8/19 Spokane, WA (Private Show)
8/21 Graham, WA (Private Show)
8/23 Portland, OR (Private Show)
8/24 Seattle, WA Tickets
8/26 Bainbridge Island, WA (Private Show)
8/27 Seattle, WA (Private Show)
8/28 Bellingham, WA (Private Show)

FALL GERMAN TOUR
10/20 Hamburg, DE - Marias Ballroom
10/21 Osnabrück, DE - Lagerhalle
10/22 Düsseldorf, DE - Stadtklang
10/23 Herdecke, DE - Shakespeare
10/25 Hamburg, DE - Freundlich und Kompetent
10/28 Dachau, DE - Tollhaus
10/29 München, DE - Lost Weekend
10/30 Stuttgart, DE - House Show
11/3 Berlin, DE - Artliners
11/4 Detmold, DE - Cup
11/5 Regen, DE - Oberstübchen
11/6 Radeburg, DE - Kulturbahnhof

PRE-SAVE CASSEROLES & FLOWERS HERE

casseroles & flowers LP Artwork // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

TRACKLIST
1. illusions by the sea
2. mirage
3. love me the same
4. domino
5. casseroles & flowers
6. on to something
7. it's ok here
8. everywhere you are
9. fountain of youth
10. baseball stamps

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COLYN CAMERON UNVEILS A.I. INSPIRED SINGLE FROM UPCOMING ALBUM

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

JUNO AWARD NOMINATED SONGWRITER COLYN CAMERON RETURNS WITH FREEHAND, DUE OUT AUGUST 5, 2022

Photo Credit : Cody Briggs // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Today, JUNO Award nominated songwriter Colyn Cameron is sharing another track from his upcoming album, Freehand, set for release out August 5, 2022. The inspiration for “Deepfakes” arrived when Cameron was reading a book by the same name, ‘Deepfakes’ by Nina Shick. “It got me thinking about this AI technology but also the veil of capitalism that we already exists under and how this particular corner of the near future relates to the mega-marathon of consumption and distorted nature of our current priorities,” says Cameron. “From my understanding, the fundamental anxiety of the tech is that we will have no way to decipher between the real and the unreal in the digital domain. And adjacent, how being an economic cog in the current era can feel like a burden, but also like you are burdening something. It can all make one easily feel  replaceable, invisible, and yet responsible.”

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

“Deepfakes” Single Art // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

MORE ABOUT FREEHAND
After almost four years since Sad & Easy, while Cameron was living in Vancouver, BC, the new material emerged within the paradoxical spaces of experimenting with dispersed and concentrated rhythms. He used the material to explore themes of technology, adventure, self-worth, and love with mild nods to worldly trepidation. 

The first Merriam-Webster definition of ‘freehand’ is “done without mechanical aids or devices.” “Obviously we are indebted to the invaluable nature of how advanced our civilization is, but at times it can be worrisome as to the limitless ways this advancement almost precedes us and answers to nothing really.” There are plenty of moments on this record referencing the wide scoped and overbearing nature of the current times in relation to technology, philosophical concern, and almost apocalyptic anxiety. But, without sounding outright pessimistic and bleak, there are also cues to simple things like good friendships, love, adventure, substance abuse, and cheap talk. “I wanted to make something romantic and nostalgic, but freely allowing the calamitous to have its place. I love gadgets and sophistication, being connected, and knowledge but I also find it curious how much is dictated by the obsession with technology, ‘progress’, and prosperity.” 

It has now been ten years since the release of Wake Owl’s first album. In the years since, Colyn has also composed original music for 2 feature films, numerous different independent projects, and formed new musical and broader artististic collaborations. Colyn has also spent much of these ten years learning to carve out ways to continue being creative and writing music, or more simply put, to change pace and make time. But it's not always easy. “I have at times, without a doubt, been a pure cog in the machine. Only hustling. A slave to minimum wage and other vices. But in short spurts it never lasts before I crave dissolution again in something authentic and meaningful, whether that is an experience of a single night, or lifestyle change.” 

WATCH / SHARE “FAULT LINES” HERE
BUY / STREAM “FAULT LINES” HERE

In a bittersweet move, Colyn relocated from LA to Vancouver a few months before the pandemic began. The songs of Freehand started to trickle in no later. Shrouded with time and a quietish room, he began recording demos and further, final versions of both instrumentals and songs. Once written and having laid a scratch track down, Josh Contant, a long time collaborator, would come track ‘one take’ drums. The rest of each song's parts would be delicately performed atop this foundation, including additional instrumentation by another former Wake Owl member and current collaborator, Aiden Ayers. The process was at times independent and at other times quite collaborative. He wanted the band to sound close and exposed, and in particular Colyn wanted to try performing the vocals in a way that was more upfront and intimate than ever. “I wanted the listener to really be able to hear my voice, the words, the pronunciations, the rhythm, etc.”. In general the vibe is less ‘effected’ and loose than earlier releases. The instrumentation is sometimes raw, sparse, and gentle, but often compact and concise. “Perhaps because the songs sometimes feel lyrically dense, I also decided to add a few short instrumentals that appeared in playful moments between recordings. These are brief guitar motifs that I used to create a pause and vibe.”

“In one way,” Colyn reflects, “Sad & Easy and now Freehand both have felt to be similar artistic processes. Musically they were kept quite intimate, and in the process of bringing the visual elements (Videos, Artwork) to life, I went on good forays with inspiring collaborators. The video experiments connected to the record do feel like an extension of the music in a complimentary and organic way.”

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

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FREEHAND TRACKLIST
01 Deepfakes
02 Sweet Relief
03 Rille
04 Fault Lines
05 Wedding Rings
06 Stream
07 Dead Ends
08 Locarno Beach
09 Pick Me Up
10 Gila Bend

COLYN CAMERON ONLINE
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