Carson Janik Releases Debut EP “Neon To Lean On”

Carson Janik, a country singer-songwriter hailing from Tecumseh, Ontario, found his inspiration to dive into country music through Luke Combs’ hit “One Number Away.”

Janik, who wrote his first song about six years ago, writes both from personal experiences and fictional stories. His creative process often begins with the music, then he crafts the lyrics. This method has created a substantial catalog of songs for him.

Recently, Janik released his debut EP, Neon to Lean On. After signing his record deal, he was introduced to an array of songs from his producer, which was a new experience for him. Among these were tracks written by renowned artists, making the selection process challenging.

One standout track for Janik is “Fast,” which has a distinctive rock tone, a rare sound in country music. Over the past year, he has tested these songs at live shows, using audience reactions to refine his selections.

This summer, Janik will bring Neon to Lean On to life at various festivals, performing almost every weekend until October. One of his aspirations is to release a full album in the future.

Be sure to listen to Neon to Lean On and stay updated on Carson Janik’s upcoming shows so you can see him live!

Mitchell Makoons Releases Debut Album “Lady Boots”

Mitchell Makoons, a Roots/Rock musician hailing from Brandon, Manitoba, began his musical journey at the age of seven, playing guitar to accompany his grandfather and brother on Métis fiddle tunes. He remains an active member in the Manitoba Métis community. His songwriting blends traditional Ojibway music and culture with contemporary influences.

Mitchell has been pursuing music professionally for almost a decade and has toured extensively across Western Canada and is making his mark on the Canadian festival circuit. In 2023, he performed at several notable events, including Dauphin’s Countryfest, Ste. Madeline Métis Days, All Folk’d Up Music Festival, and the Winnipeg Fringe Festival.

At the 2023 Manitoba Country Music Awards Mitchell was nominated for Roots Artist, Duo or Group of the Year and the Emerging Artist Award.

He recently released his debut album Lady Boots with eight tracks. He wanted to make an album that sounded like a country Phoebe Bridgers because she was a musical inspiration for him during the beginning stages of the album process.

The process of putting “Lady Boots” together started back in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Restrictions caused by the pandemic made it difficult to work and record the album.

Mitchell wrote every song on the album except for the “Travelling Song” which was gifted to him by an Elder in his community. Mitchell asked if he could make a modern version of the song and included it on the album!

“Courage” is a song that stands out to him on the album, especially when playing live because it sets a good tone and gets people ready for the show.

Mitchell is planning to go on the road in the fall to play these songs live and would love to stay on tour as long as possible.

Make sure to listen to Lady Boots and catch an upcoming show to see Mitchell Makoons play song from his new album live!

The Sean Taylor Band Release Debut, Self-Titled Album

The Sean Taylor Band, a group of six exceptionally talented musicians from Manitoba, has been captivating audiences for the past seven years. Since the band formed, they’ve evolved from performing covers to creating their own unique sound, making waves in the music industry.

A significant moment for the band was when they were nominated for Cover/Tribute Artist, Duo or Group of the Year at the 2022 Manitoba Country Music Awards. This nomination not only introduced them to the Manitoba country music community but also inspired the group to create their own music, which led to the release of their first single “Rolling Stone.”

The song quickly gained traction, receiving radio play and becoming their most-streamed track. After this, the band was eager to create a full length album of original music.

A standout song on the album for them is “Alberta Sunrise,” which got the best response at a Songwriters Night at The Royal George and sparked confidence for the rest of the album. If you listen to the demo of “Alberta Sunrise” on Spotify or Apple Music you will hear Sean Johnston’s son singing in the background so that song will always have a special place in his heart.

The album’s release was celebrated with a sold-out show that marked the end of this chapter for the band. Reflecting on the event, Sean Johnston said, “It felt like the perfect ending to the album journey and the amazing response from the crowd was the icing on the cake.”

The Sean Taylor Band has a jam-packed summer with a full lineup of shows, which you can check out at https://theseantaylorband.ca/. Despite their busy schedule, the band is already writing new material and planning their next album, eager to continue their musical journey and deliver more hits to their growing fanbase.

Stay tuned for more exciting updates from The Sean Taylor Band as they continue to make their mark on the music scene!

JR Charron Releases New Single “Too Good To Leave”

JR Charron, the talented local country/rock performer and songwriter hailing from Manitoba, has been making waves in the music scene. His single “Killin’ Frost,” released last summer, received great success from fans. Recently, JR celebrated a remarkable five nominations at the Manitoba Country Music Awards, including nods for ‘Song and Single of the Year,’ ‘Male Artist,’ ‘Interactive Artist,’ and ‘Fans’ Choice.’

He released a new single “Too Good To Leave” on April 19, which has which has quickly gained traction on Canadian country radio. The song is about past fun-loving relationships that tells the story of a couple who is stuck in a never-ending relationship and aren’t good for each other.

JR Charron writes most of the songs he releases including “Too Good To Leave” that he wrote with Max Dupas, Ben Hodges, and Dan Poperechny.

Charron also released a music video for “Too Good To Leave!” The video was a spur of the moment decision when a show got cancelled and some free time allowed for a music video to come together unexpectedly.

Charron is busy working on a lot of new music with a single coming out in time for summer and he should have a body of music in the fall or winter.

He is always prioritizing his music and making sure he releases the best music possible.

Charron has some upcoming shows this summer including Dauphin’s Countryfest on Saturday, June 29!

Make sure to listen to “Too Good To Leave” and watch the music video!

MacKenzie Porter Releases Long-Awaited Debut Album “Nobody’s Born With A Broken Heart!”

Mackenzie Porter is a Canadian born, Nashville based country music artist tallying 900 million global on-demand streams and counting.

Porter tied Shania Twain as the only other Canadian female in history to land three back-to-back #1 singles at Canadian country radio with “About You,” “These Days,” and latest “Seeing Other People.” Twain set the now-tied record in 1998.

She is also the first country female artist in this century to have six #1 singles in Canada and earned 22 CCMA nominations, including Entertainer of the Year.

On April 26, MacKenzie Porter released her highly anticipated 19-track debut album, Nobody’s Born With A Broken Heart! The album culminates six years of writing and has a mix of country-pop and confessional singer/songwriter country sounds to it.

“I wanted the album to have more moments of honesty and vulnerability that might not be a radio singles but could tell a bigger story and speak to people,” she said.

Album Playlist

Porter recently wrapped up her first headlining Canadian tour, which was such a fun and cool experience for her to test out some of these new songs on the album for fans and see their reactions.

MacKenzie recently had her musical debut on The Kelly Clarkson Show performing a song on her new album, “Pay Me Back In Change.”

You can also catch MacKenzie cohosting the 2024 CCMA Awards with Thomas Rhett.

“Thomas is hilarious and super sweet and I think we will be able to feed off of each other and put on a great show,” she said.

Make sure to listen to “Nobody’s Born With A Broken Heart” and stay up-to-date on upcoming shows from MacKenzie Porter!

Jade Turner Makes Semi-Finals of SiriusXM’s Top of the Country!

Jade Turner has a natural talent for telling stories through her music, while continuing to support the Indigenous culture that inspires her. She has grown a dedicated audience with her impactful stage presence and songs like “Worth,” “Stay Wild Child” “Hangover Blues,” and the two-time award-winning hit “Deadweight.”

“I can only have my own stories, so if I want the music to be true to me, it all has to be coming from my point of view. The stories I tell will be different but I feel we’re all the same in different ways,” she says. “In the communities where I grew up, we’re storytellers and we’ve always been storytellers. Country has been a huge part of my life because it’s a storytelling genre,” said Turner.

Jade started writing her own music when she was a child and would use it as a way to channel her emotions. She writes from personal experiences because it is important that she can relate to her music and lyrics.

In 2023, Jade released a very personal and vulnerable track “Deadweight” about an online bully commenting on her weight. Jade responded to the hate, which made an impact on Crystal Shawanda who brought it up in a writing session with Turner. This sparked the inspiration of the song and the message behind what women in the music industry often experience.

“Women get targeted and if you are an artist people think they can say whatever they want. This is such an important song for me because it was written with another Indigenous person as well and representation matters. I love this song and it got me to places I’ve been trying to get for awhile and helped my career,” said Turner.

Deadweight Acoustic Video

Jade Turner was a semi-finalist in the SiriusXM’s Top of the Country competition. The competition was a chance to record a brand-new single and Jade ended up writing “That Wind.”

“That Wind” is a song about answering your calling and dreams, which was a perfect theme for the competition.

“I am very proud of what I did and accomplished in such a short amount of time and it was an amazing experience,” she said.

Jade has many releases coming up this year and is keeping very busy with many upcoming shows.

Make sure to follow Jade Turner on social media to stay up to date on her upcoming shows and new music!

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Nice Horse Rides into Self-Titled Album Release

Nice Horse is a country music duo from Calgary, Alberta with members, Katie Rox and Brandi Sidoryk.

Brandi and Katie have been musical allies for the past 15 years supporting each other’s careers but started writing songs together and Nice Horse took off from there.

Their debut album Nice Horse is out now with seven tracks. The duo describe the album as a labour of love, which they wrote over a hundred songs for and put years of work into.

“We’re so proud to release our debut album as a duo. While we have been in the industry for many years we feel like we’ve finally written songs that speak to deeper parts of us as songwriters and performers and we can’t wait to see how fans react to this side of Nice Horse,” shared Brandi and Katie.

Since they had so many songs to choose from when putting the album together, they got to choose songs that really meant something to them.

Listen to their album here!

The duo is hitting the road next month and are looking forward to performing these new songs. Fans can catch Nice Horse at Heartstrings & Honkytonks, Rodéo Ayer’s Cliff, Cavendish Beach Music Festival, and Quonset Days, with more show announcements to come! In August Nice Horse will fulfill a long-time dream when they step out on stage in support of Jo Dee Messina in Regina, SK. 

Check out Nice Horse’s tour dates and music here https://www.nicehorsemusic.com/!

Petric Release Self-Titled Three-Track EP!

Canadian country music group Petric composed of brothers, Jason Petric and Tom Petric and long-time friend Jordan Day, release their highly anticipated self-titled EP!

Hailing from Winnipeg, Manitoba, the band has accumulated over 15 million worldwide online streams, 12 charting singles, and 3 top 20 hits. 

They started recording the tracks on this EP a while back when they flew their producer into Winnipeg and recorded at the No Fun Club recording studio, which was an incredible experience for them!

“It’s been a long time coming to put out new music. We’ve done quite a few singles over the last few years but we wanted to put something out thats more in depth with a few more songs to it,” said Jason Petric.

The EP was released on Monday, April 15 and has already been very well received from fans. The band is looking forward to adding these songs to their setlist for upcoming shows.

A standout for Petric on the EP is their cover of “The Best” originally by Tina Turner. They put their own country/rock twist on it.

“Country music is known for songwriters and artists working together to create a finished product to put a fresh touch on a tune that everyone loves and we thought we’d give it a try,” said Jason Petric.

“The Best” hits Canadian country radio in about a week and has already Australian country radio as well!

The band is gearing up for festival season coming up and are eager to play these new songs. They will be hitting the stage at Country On The Bay in Thunder Bay, and Shake the Lake festival in Kenora, Ontario, which is run by Jason Petric himself!

Listen to Petric’s new self-titled EP now!

Berlyn Releases New Single “Save Us!”

Rising star, Berlyn is making waves in the Canadian country music scene as the 2023 Country Music Alberta “Youth Horizon Award” winner! 

Berlyn is from Slave Lake, Alberta and started with music lessons at a young age. She started performing for crowds and writing music early on in life, which gave her an early start into her music journey.

Berlyn recently released her new song “Save Us” which is about being cheated on in a relationship and wanting to go back but you know its not good for you. The song can mean different things to different people if you really listen to the lyrics.

Berlyn was pitched “Save Us” and when deciding if a song is meant for her to record, it needs to relate to her and have a fun groove to it.

Berlyn is working towards her new single “You and Me” which will be coming out in the next two months!

She is very busy constantly working on new single releases, including a song written completely on her own, which she will also be releasing this year.

She is getting ready for a very busy summer with many shows and festivals to showcase her new music.

A goal for Berlyn is to hopefully soon be worldwide, travel, and be able to have music be a full time career!

Make sure to listen to “Save Us” and stay up-to-date on her new music releases and upcoming shows!

This Ain’t Fox Worthee’s First Rodeo!

Fox Worthee is known for their effortless harmonies and willingness to push the boundaries of country music. They were recently awarded the Fan’s Choice Award at the 2024 CMAB Awards!

Nicole Perkins and Crystal Smith started their music career singing the National Anthem for the Regina Pats. They both decided to enter a karaoke contest and placed second and third, which sparked the fire to start the band Fox Worthee.

Fox Worthee have been a duo for twenty years now and have always stayed true to their country roots with their songwriting and sound.

“It’s been a long haul but a good haul,” said Crystal.

The duo recently released their first single of the year “This Ain’t My First Rodeo,” which is a fun, upbeat country song.

“It was one of those songs that just came together and we knew it was going to be great,” they said.

Fox Worthee is getting ready for a busy time coming up with lot’s of shows.

“Being this busy is a great problem to have, we are very excited!”

Visit https://foxxworthee.com/events/ for a full list of Fox Worthee’s upcoming shows and make sure to listen to “This Ain’t My First Rodeo!”