ALLISON RUSSELL-INSPIRED ‘EVE WAS BLACK’ BALLET ADDED TO POLARIS MUSIC PRIZE GALA

GRAMMY AND JUNO AWARD WINNER ALLISON RUSSELL’S LATEST ALBUM, THE RETURNER, SHORT-LISTED FOR THE POLARIS MUSIC PRIZE

ALLISON RUSSELL-INSPIRED BALLET SET TO “EVE WAS BLACK” ADDED TO THE POLARIS MUSIC PRIZE GALA PERFORMANCES

WATCH THE POLARIS MUSIC PRIZE GALA ON CBC MUSIC - SEPTEMBER 17

ALLISON RUSSELL NAMED BILLBOARD CANADA WOMEN IN MUSIC BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST OF THE YEAR

ON TOUR NOW WITH HOZIER - TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE

BUY / STREAM THE RETURNER HERE

“That same hope permeates the buoyant rhythm of The Returner and continues pushing Russell forward in pursuit of joy.”  - EXCLAIM!

“It was only a matter of time before she made her album for the ages. The Returner is that album.” - UNCUT (9 out of 10) 

“Allison Russell delivers soul-stirring show… She not only demonstrated her wonderful voice, laden with soul, gospel and raw emotion, but also showed she can play multiple instruments, including clarinet and banjo, and craft poignant songs in both official languages.” –
The Ottawa Citizen

"The Returner is a promise that Russell is giving back more than she's received, which has always felt like her ethos. The way the Montreal-raised singer lifts others up — fellow artists and fans alike — is a spiritual experience, no matter your convictions." - CBC Music

The Returner LP Artwork // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Next week at the 2024 Polaris Music Prize Gala, viewers will have the opportunity to watch the seven-person Allison Russell-inspired ballet ‘Eve Was Black’. Fresh off Grammy Award and JUNO Award wins, and being named the Billboard Canada Women In Music Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Allison’s latest album, The Returner, is shortlisted for prestigious music prize. The gala is presented by CBC Music and takes place Tuesday, September 17 at Massey Hall in Toronto.

Set to the Grammy Award winning song “Eve Was Black,” from The Returner, the dance has evolved to center, comfort and celebrate people of African descent, particularly women, whose skin tones, features, and sheer existence has been weaponized, victimized and devalued for hundreds of years. It is a call for reclaiming and collective reframing of the narrative associated with Black people and communities of color worldwide.

WATCH / SHARE “EVE WAS BLACK” LYRIC VIDEO HERE

“‘Eve Was Black’ is an open letter to my abuser, but also to anyone suffering from the false ideology of white supremacy and other bigotries, whatever they may be. It’s also about how you can free yourself from that toxicity and way of thinking.” — Allison Russell

‘Eve Was Black’ was originally presented by the Nashville Ballet in association with the National Museum Of African American Music in 2021. The piece was choreographed by Caribbean Montrealer and Collage Dance’s artistic director Kevin Thomas and features music by Russell with support from SistaStrings. Nia Lyons from Collage Dance Collective will be performing the leading role at the Polaris Gala.

Thomas calls ‘Eve Was Black’ “an opportunity to continue the healing process within ourselves and our community in a way that honors and liberates us through the visceral performing arts.”

WATCH ALLISON RUSSELL’S IN DEPTH INTERVIEW ON CBC THE NATIONAL
WATCH ALLISON RUSSELL ON LATER…WITH JOOLS HOLLAND

WATCH ALLISON RUSSEL ON JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE

MORE ABOUT ALLISON RUSSELL
The Returner was written and co-produced by Allison along with dim star (her partner JT Nero and Drew Lindsay) and was recorded over Solstice week in December 2022 at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles, CA. It features Russell’s “Rainbow Coalition” ensemble: Elenna Canlas, Elizabeth Pupo-Walker, Ganessa James, Joy Clark, Kerenza Peacock, Larissa Maestro, Mandy Fer (Sway Wild), Megan Coleman, Meg McCormick, SistaStrings (Chauntee & Monique Ross), Wendy & Lisa (Wendy Melvoin & Lisa Coleman aka The Revolution) and Wiktoria Bialic. 

Since the release of her debut solo LP in 2021, Outside Child, Russell’s often devastating, deeply moving, cathartic celebration of survivor’s joy has become one of the most acclaimed albums of the past 10 years. The second chapter, The Returner, a body-shaking, mind-expanding, soulful expression of liberation, love, and self-respect that serves as a fierce declaration of joy for all survivors that have made it to the other side. Allison, JT, and Drew, built The Returner from the bottom up with a rhythm-first, genre-fluid approach. The improvisational energy of great female artists sparked the album’s fierce joy, and provided a wider canvas for Allison’s immense, unlimited talent. In all, the new album doesn’t just deliver on the promise of the last two years, it exceeds all reasonable (and unreasonable) expectations and affirms Allison Russell’s place among music’s most vital artists⎯and The Returner, was one of 2023’s most essential recordings.

BUY / STREAM THE RETURNER HERE

Following a diverse career as a featured member of acclaimed bands including Po’ Girl, Birds of Chicago and Our Native Daughters, Russell finally dared to release her solo project in 2021. "It’s an album of strength and affirmation, not victimization,” said The New York Times in their profile on Russell and Outside Child. Following the album’s release, Russell performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Ellen, Late Night With Stephen Colbert, CBS Saturday Morning, Austin City Limits, The Kelly Clarkson Show made her Opry debut and appeared at the Country Music Hall of Fame and performed at the 2022 GRAMMY’s Premiere Ceremony.

The accolades for Russell have been immense. In addition to her GRAMMY Award, she has earned three 2022 Americana Award nominations and a win for Album of the Year, two International Folk Music Award wins, a 2022 JUNO Award nomination for ‘Songwriter of the Year,’ and her first-ever JUNO Award win for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year. Russell received two 2021 Americana Awards nominations, won three Canadian Folk Music Awards, two UK Americana Music Awards, and more. She was recently nominated for Song of the Year and Artist of the Year for the 2023 Americana Awards. In addition, Russell has consistently used her newfound platform to elevate, educate and inspire; curating the history making Once And Future Sounds: Roots and Revolution set for the Newport Folk Festival in 2021 and mobilizing this year’s triumphant Love Rising All-Star benefit concert in support of LGBTQIA+ causes in Nashville - raising over $550,000 and calling national attention to Tennessee’s dangerous anti-trans and anti-drag laws. Russell has also announced a book deal with Flatiron/MacMillan for her debut novel, a memoir based on her life and the material that inspired Outside Child and The Returner.

TOUR DATES
SEP 13, 2024 - Tucson Arena -Tucson, AZ %
SEP 14, 2024 - North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre -Chula Vista, CA %
SEP 15, 2024 - Whale Rock Music Festival - Templeton, CA %
SEP 17, 2024 - The Kia Forum - Inglewood, CA %
SEP 18, 2024 - The Kia Forum - Inglewood, CA %
SEP 20, 2024 - The Kia Forum - Inglewood, CA %
SEP 22, 2024 - Isleta Amphitheater - Albuquerque, NM %
SEP 24, 2024 - Frost Bank Center - San Antonio, TX %
SEP 26, 2024 - Paycom Center - Oklahoma City, OK %
SEP 28, 2024 - Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival - Franklin, TN
OCT 17, 2024 - Kia Forum - Inglewood, CA | Life Is a Carnival: A Musical Celebration of Robbie
Robertson
OCT 19, 20 - Hollywood Bowl - Los Angeles, CA | Joni Jam
APR 15, 2025 - Melbourne Recital Centre - Southbank, VIC
APR 17, 2025 - City Recital Hall - Sydney, Australia
APR 19, 20 - 2025 - Bluesfest Byron Bay - Byron Bay, NSW
APR 30, 2025 - Higher Ground Ballroom - South Burlington, VT
MAY 2, 2025 - Theatre of Living Arts - Philadelphia, PA
MAY 3, 2025 - Lincoln Theatre - Washington, DC
MAY 4, 2025 - Royale - Boston, MA
MAY 6, 2025 - Webster Hall - New York, NY
MAY 8, 2025 - The Vic Theatre - Chicago, IL
MAY 9, 2025 - First Avenue - Minneapolis, MN
MAY 12, 2025 - Gothic Theatre - Englewood, CO
MAY 13, 2025 - The Commonwealth Room - Salt Lake City, UT
MAY 15, 2025 - The Egyptian Theatre - Boise, ID
MAY 17, 2025 - Wonder Ballroom - Portland, OR
MAY 19, 2025 - The Fillmore - San Francisco, CA
MAY 20, 2025 - Belasco Theater - Los Angeles, CA
MAY 23, 2025 - Scoot Inn - Austin, TX
MAY 24, 2025 - Tannahill's Tavern & Music Hall - Fort Worth, TX
MAY 25, 2025 - The Heights Theater - Houston, TX

% -Supporting Hozier

MORE PRAISE FOR THE RETURNER

"Allison Russell proved to be the strongest vocalist over the two-day festival..." -
Glide Magazine

“With its increased twin focus on grooves and celebration, it might not be inaccurate to call the album a party, albeit with the understanding that the celebration is a hard-fought party.” - VARIETY

"Emblazoned with words as arrows, a banjo as her bow and her clarinet as an extension of her voice, Russell unapologetically wields the wind of her lived experience of violent abuse, sheer survival and remarkable redemption. The result is mesmerizing."- Post & Courier

“Allison Russell’s second solo album brings to mind a verse from the Bible: ‘Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.’ After reflecting on her escape from abuse on her 2021 breakout, Outside Child, Russell is celebrating her freedom on The Returner. The album has its heavy moments, but it’s largely brighter — and funkier.” - VULTURE

"The resilient songwriter maintains a throughline of gratitude with an impeccable knack for storytelling.  If you’re looking for an enduring album to seek refuge and celebrate the ambivalence of life, this one’s for you." - RANGE Magazine

“On her second album, The Returner, she delivers a sequel that holds togetherness at its heart as she delves into the personal and political.”  - THE LINE OF BEST FIT 

"Bolstered by a female-centric circle of VIPs and fuelled by defiant joy, the ascendant singer-songwriter grooves her way into the big leagues with this upbeat charmer." - Tinnitist

“The Returner, another powerful effort, also represents a next step in Russell’s career and life as she leaves her trauma in the past and steps forward in what she calls “fierce joy.” - POLLSTAR

"It takes a village to make deep, meaningful change in the world around you, and Russell is ready to build that village from the ground up.” - BILLBOARD

ALLISON RUSSELL ONLINE
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FANTASY RECORDS 

SKINNY DYCK ANNOUNCES NEW LP, EASYGOING, SHARES NEW VIDEO

SKINNY DYCK’S NEW LP, EASYGOING, OUT OCTOBER 25, 2024 VIA VICTORY POOL RECORDS

WATCH / SHARE “OUT OF CONTROL” HERE
BUY / STREAM “OUT OF CONTROL” HERE

PRE-SAVE EASYGOING HERE

Photo Credit : Heather Saitz  DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Today, Skinny Dyck - the playful performing artistic alias of Western Canadian artist Ryan Dyck, is announcing Easygoing, the new full-length album out via Victory Pool Records. His sophomore, adventurous americana LP presents an elegant, subtle shift away from traditional country music. Following on the heels of 2022's Palace Waiting, which “distilled the spirit of wide-cut country,” (Exclaim!), Easygoing sees Dyck moving a few steps further away from the country music environs he once wholly inhabited. But, fear not twang fans, rather than replacing that sound wholesale, he and his studio collaborators have instead created their own hybrid approaches. Or, as Dyck puts it, “I still like to collect my mail at the old shack off the highway, but I no longer want to live there exclusively.”

Recorded in basements and ad-hoc studio environments by Skinny and his co-producer Aladean Kheroufi, the album's diverse textures are well-balanced by twangy guitars and steel alongside less expected elements like synth hooks and congas. There is a pleasing straightforwardness to the music of Skinny Dyck. His voice is clean and clear (and usually nestled in a bed of lush reverb), the songs are held together with spacious instrumentation and smart, tasty hooks (including Dyck's signature pedal steel work), and the band is right on the money, everything in its right place and not a note wasted. This shouldn't come as a surprise, as Kheroufi (a multi-faceted musician and songwriter in his own right) applied some of the old school, minimalist recording techniques he picked up while interning at Daptone Records years ago, and he has been at the core of Skinny's live band (alongside drummer Clayton Smith) for the last handful of years. So when Dyck and Kheroufi (along with main album drummer Cameron O'Neill) hit the basement to lay down these songs, it was as easy as slipping into a pair of old jeans. And that sprightly, jazz-inflected lead guitar work comes courtesy of Winnipeg's Austin Parachoniak, who helped bring a whiff of Merle Haggard's '80s band to the mix. 

Following previous singles “Can’t Change The Colour Of Your Eyes”, and the album’s title track, “Easygoing”, today Dyck is sharing the new track, “Out Of Control”, which was recorded in a few different basements, one with a hot tub babbling in the background. 

“Sometimes a relationship finds itself in a place where one person is holding on and the other is long gone,” Dyck says of the song. “This song nods to that hard situation, where attempts to save what's left push someone further away - in this case finding a new partner/old friend in the night life. Buy tickets to Paris and they'll never love you less. You're outside a Stop 'n Go at 4 am trying to find thirty five cents 'cause you lost your charger. Suddenly there's so much to say, but it's too late. Accept that a time may come when you have to let go of your Fender Twin Reverb if you can’t shoulder its weight, let alone the emotional baggage it represents.”

WATCH / SHARE “OUT OF CONTROL” HERE
BUY / STREAM “OUT OF CONTROL” HERE

DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

MORE ABOUT EASYGOING
Easygoing had its finishing touches applied by the prime candidate for the role, celebrated mix engineer Mark Nevers, whose credit list is a veritable who's who of fresh, forward thinking songwriters and bands that exist in the between-genre sphere. Artists such as Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Silver Jews, Calexico, Andrew Bird, Bill Callahan, and Lambchop have benefited from Nevers' touch, a blend of his trusted ears and vintage analog gear. As a mixer who began working in the traditional Country & Western scenes and slowly gravitated to the more expansive world of indie music, Nevers was a fitting choice for the job.

LISTEN / SHARE “EASYGOING” HERE
BUY / STREAM “EASYGOING” HERE

And this notion of “country but not” courses through Easygoing in a pretty tangible way, its success partially measured by how unnoticeable it is. Take “Nosedive” for example – what might be one of the album's more traditional “boots kickin' up dust” kind of song features a deeply psychedelic spoken word outro, with enigmatic vocals bubbling through a thick web of analog delay; it's truly a unique blend of approaches – and it works. Elsewhere, things continue to pair nicely, with conga drums undercutting sparkling lead guitar and the occasional synth flourish, and “Lean In” features a delicious bass line that sounds as if it was plucked straight from a vintage James Jamerson-played Motown track. The combination of the band's cool chug and Dyck's classic songwriting moves on title track “Easygoing” recall the endless-horizon feel of classic War on Drugs, another band who've managed to successfully infuse the familiar with  a jolt of something new.

WATCH / SHARE “CAN’T CHANGE THE COLOUR OF YOUR EYES” HERE
BUY / STREAM “CAN’T CHANGE THE COLOUR OF YOUR EYES” HERE

DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

EASYGOING TRACKLIST
01 Nosedive 
02 Easygoing 
03 Baby Oh Well 
04 Part Of Me 
05 Can't Change The Colour Of Your Eyes 
06 Where I'm Going 
07 Out Of Control 
08 Lean In 
09 Less Stress 
10 One Extra Smile 
11 And Then One Day 

TOUR DATES // TICKETS HERE
Sept 20 - Cremona, AB - The Windmill
Sept 21 - Turner Valley, AB - Beneath The Arch, Flare & Derrick Community Hall

SKINNY DYCK ONLINE
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BANDCAMP

MOONRIIVR ANNOUNCES THE TASCAM SERIES EPS

THE TASCAM SERIES EPS - TWO LIVE, OFF-THE-FLOOR COLLECTIONS : THE DORVAL SESSIONS & LIVE AT JENNY’S BAR - OUT NOVEMBER 20 VIA VICTORY POOL RECORDS

WATCH / SHARE “LET THE WORLD TURN” (LIVE AT VICTORIA’S)
BUY / STREAM “LET THE WORLD TURN” (LIVE AT VICTORIA’S)

PRE-SAVE THE TASCAM SERIES EPS HERE

TOUR DATES BEGIN THIS WEEK

MOONRIIVR IS THE NEW PROJECT FROM GAVIN GARDINER (THE WOODEN SKY) AND CHAMPAGNE JAMES ROBERTSON (LINDI ORTEGA), FEATURING BEN WHITELEY (THE WEATHER STATION), AND LYLE MOLZAN (KATHLEEN EDWARDS) 

Photo Credit : Heather Saitz // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

MOONRIIVR are pleased to share the first installment of their Tascam Series: The Dorval Sessions and Live At Jenny's Bar, two collections that capture the band live in action, on the streets of Toronto, bringing a taste of their charming, faded elegance to front stoops and locally-owned businesses in their neighbourhood.

Since the 2023 release of their critically acclaimed debut album, Vol 1, MOONRIIVR has quickly made a name for itself. Respected producer and bandleader, Gavin Gardiner (Wooden Sky, All Day Coconut) and renowned guitarist, “Champagne” James Robertson (Lindi Ortega, Dwayne Gretzkey) have respectively made their mark on Canada’s musical landscape, and together, are eying new frontiers. Their aesthetic is taped together by vintage gear and a deep love for the weirder fringes of ‘60s pop psychedelia. Timeless melodies drift over vintage rhythms - made by drummer Lyle Molzan (Corb Lund, Kathleen Edwards) & bassist Ben Whiteley (The Weather Station) - touching on influences from the golden era of Western pop music while maintaining a distinctive and innovative sound.

Following tours across Canada and Europe, MOONRIIVR has embarked on an exciting new recording project: reimagined takes of songs from Vol 1.  As an ode to their nostalgic sound and their Toronto roots, they took to a portable analog tape recorder, and brought their performances to community staples around their neighbourhood. They turned to their well loved Tascam 388 to serve as the portable recording studio. “It fits easily in the back of my car and means we leave the computers at home,” says James.

WATCH / SHARE “LET THE WORLD TURN” (LIVE AT VICTORIA’S)
BUY / STREAM “LET THE WORLD TURN” (LIVE AT VICTORIA’S)

DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

The project features two installments: The Dorval Sessions and Live at Jenny’s Bar. The Dorval Sessions were recorded live at Fabien’s Unisex Hair Salon, Yorgo the Cobbler and Victoria’s Flower Shop - beloved storefronts at the corner of Bloor and Dorval. On ‘Let the World Turn’ Whiteley's double bass and Molzan's snappy hand percussion create a tactile, kinetic underpinning for Robertson's graceful baritone uke playing and Gardiner's winsome lyrics.  As the last note decays, a cheer goes up from the crowd of passersby gathered on the sidewalk to listen.

The second installment was recorded at Jenny's Bar, a local favourite on Dundas Street West. Gardiner is quick to point out that “Jenny herself is a big supporter of the community – and of course the band,”  The bar’s regulars were encouraging as the band squeezed into the back corner of the room and cheered them on as the band ran through electrifying versions of “Midnight at the Garden Hotel” and “Bachelor Nation”, MOONRIIVR’s tribute to the devoted fan base of the long running reality TV show.

A love letter to their hometown and a perfectly framed snapshot of a well oiled machine, the first installment of the Tascam Series: The Dorval Sessions w/ Live At Jenny's Bar offers a wonderful live compliment to the MOONRIIVR discography, and will be available online and cassette November 20th via Victory Pool Records.

PRE-SAVE THE TASCAM SERIES EPS HERE

BUY / STREAM VOL. 1 HERE

TOUR DATES
Sep 14 - Supercrawl - Hamilton, ON
Sep 20 - Bar 379 - Peterborough, ON
Sep 21 - The 27 Club - Ottawa, ON
Nov 07 - Idle Eyes Collective -  Calgary, AB
Nov 08 - Owl Acoustic Lounge - Lethbridge, AB
Nov 09 - The Aviary - Edmonton, AB
Nov 22 - Green Auto - Vancouver, BC
Dec 13 - Times Change(d) - Winnipeg, MB

DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

THE TASCAM SERIES EPS TRACKLIST

THE DORVAL SESSIONS
01 Flowers On The Fire Escape
02 Blonde Hair Now
03 Let The World Turn
04 A Mother TO Me
05 The Hypnotist

LIVE AT JENNY’S BAR
01 10,000 SUNS
02 Bachelor Nation
03 Midnight At The Garden Hotel
04 Run

MOONRIIVR ONLINE
WEBSITE
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