March 6, 2024

Artist of the Month: The Western Swing Authority / Artiste du mois : The Western Swing Authority

  It was a full house of celebration and new music last month as The Western Swing Authority hosted a release party for their brand-new album “12 to 6 Central” at the Registry Theatre in their hometown of Kitchener. Despite it being their fifth full length album, it was the first time they performed on an actual release date. It was a special day, as they were supported by many fans, friends and family. The seven-piece band is comprised of some of Canada’s most sought-after musicians, who have been performing together for 15 years. Featuring Shane Guse as fiddler, vocalist and frontman, his wife, Stacey Lee Guse (vocals and former member of JUNO and CCMA nominated group LACE), Ed Ringwald (steel guitar), Dan Howlett (fiddle, banjo), […]
March 6, 2024

Artist of the Month: The Western Swing Authority / Artiste du mois : The Western Swing Authority

  It was a full house of celebration and new music last month as The Western Swing Authority hosted a release party for their brand-new album “12 to 6 Central” at the Registry Theatre in their hometown of Kitchener. Despite it being their fifth full length album, it was the first time they performed on an actual release date. It was a special day, as they were supported by many fans, friends and family. The seven-piece band is comprised of some of Canada’s most sought-after musicians, who have been performing together for 15 years. Featuring Shane Guse as fiddler, vocalist and frontman, his wife, Stacey Lee Guse (vocals and former member of JUNO and CCMA nominated group LACE), Ed Ringwald (steel guitar), Dan Howlett (fiddle, banjo), […]
February 2, 2024

Artist of the Month: Amanda Keeles / Artiste du mois : Amanda Keeles

  CMAOntario Artist of the Month: Amanda Keeles London, Ontario’s Amanda Keeles new album release and tour is counting down for the launch pad in February 2024. Considering that Amanda is a two­-time winner of The Canadian Open Singing/Songwriting Contest, her debut single, “Blame it on the Moonlight” (released January 30, 2023), peaked in the top 10 at #6 on the Canadian Country Indie Top 100 Chart and “My Heart Feels The Same Way Too” has accumulated over 73K streams since its release in May of 2023, her forthcoming album, titled “Can’t Stop Me Now”, sure sounds like a “Just try it” challenge! Growing up in a family of musicians, country music was part of the diet in her home, which prepared her for performing […]
January 11, 2024

Artist of the Month: Mitch Jean / Artiste du mois : Mitch Jean

  En tant qu’artiste franco-ontarien originaire de Smooth Rock Falls, et maintenant établi à Cochrane, Mitch Jean fait de la musique avec de fortes racines. Depuis qu’il a pris la guitare pour la première fois à l’âge de douze ans, il a exploré de nombreux styles musicaux différents, mais a trouvé son son entre le country moderne et le rock. S’inspirant des légendes de la guitare des années 80 comme Def Leppard et du style d’écriture de chansons d’artistes country comme Eric Church, Mitch Jean s’est taillé une dimension musicale qui lui est propre. Que ce soit en solo ou full band, en français ou en anglais, l’artiste dynamique capte l’attention de son public grâce à son énergie débordante, faisant de chaque spectacle une expérience […]
December 6, 2023

Artist of the Month: Callie McCullough

Labeled with her larger than life and vivacious personality, Dolly Parton-sized beauty, and angelic voice, singer/songwriter Callie McCullough is sure to grab your attention. Born 3rd generation into a musical family, her contemporary and alternative music style has made an impact in Country Music. It is a combo of traditional country, Celtic, folk and bluegrass. Her grassy textured sound is what we can expect in her forthcoming collection of new music. Callie explains, “I’m very much just organically letting the songs become what they want to become.” Having just come out of a long term relationship, and reflecting on the direction of her life, she thought her next few years might look really different. With confidence and sass came her latest single “What If I […]
September 11, 2023

Artist of the Month: Runaway Angel

Cadence Grace, Ann Chaplin and Stacey Zegers have been a powerhouse trio in the form of Runaway Angel for a decade. Their unwavering friendship forms the bedrock of Runaway Angel, and it’s through this genuine bond that their passion for music shines brightest. Over the years, Runaway Angel has garnered a loyal fan following and industry recognition, making them CCMA Discovery Artist Nominees and 7-Time CMAOntario Award nominees. Their albums, “No End In Sight” and “Zero” made significant impacts, debuting at #5 and #3 on the iTunes Canadian Country Charts. Their music, including the hit single “Witness”, has reached over 150,000 Spotify streams and graced the Top 50 on Canadian country radio. The trio have taken the stage among the likes of Dierks Bentley, Dallas […]
August 11, 2023

Artist of the Month: Brian John Harwood

It’s hard to talk about Brian John Harwood without mention of the word: “collaboration.” They say: “It takes a village…”; and the list of names he’s worked with makes him an automatic Team Player candidate. Born and raised in Innisfil, Ontario, BJH first got widespread attention as a core member of Kansas Stone, partnering with Matt Davey. The band’s single, “Blaze of Nothing,” was nominated for the Music Video of the Year at the 2019 CMAOntario Awards. The band also made a big dent in the scene with “Together We’re Strong”, written by Brian and producer Dustin Bird. The single features – get this – 17 Canadian artists, among them: Aaron Pritchett, Alee and Jason Blaine. That’s a lot of herding. Brian stepped up to […]
July 14, 2023

Artist of the Month: Augusta Ray

At the young age of 9, Augusta Ray first began her musical journey singing opera. She was quickly recognized as a child prodigy, wowing her audiences as she performed in three languages. Growing up a fan of Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and Shania Twain, Augusta formed the sound of her unique country-rock style from unique influences. Known to friends and fans as “Gus”, Augusta Ray grew up in Toronto, and has been travelling between there and Nashville for the past 9 years, performing to Canadian and American country-rock fans. Some career highlights for Ray include sharing the stage with Trace Atkins, Brett Kissel, Tim Hicks, Jess Moskaluke and several others. Gus recently released a new single: “Your Ex”. In a press release, she explains – […]
June 12, 2023

Artist of the Month: Parker Graye

Parker Graye has been on a mission to make country music sad again and I think it’s safe to say, mission accomplished. Songs like “Do Over”, “Before You Leave”, and “Last Time” introduced us to the queen of Saddies for the Baddies, and Parker Graye has been opening her heart to listeners ever since. Growing up in Orillia, Ontario, Parker Graye’s main musical influence came from her musically inclined aunt. Obsessed with live performance from a young age, Parker would spend her childhood evenings performing to an imaginary packed out stadium in the basement. After spending a few years in Banff as a snowboarder, she would begin her journey as a singer-songwriter when she moved to Vancouver in 2010. Parker would spend time across indie […]
May 10, 2023

Artist of the Month: Amanda Jordan

Measured in both kilometers and miles, there’s a long strip of asphalt between Smiths Falls and Nashville and you’ll find Amanda Jordan at the south end of it. Like many Canadian country artists, she’s hooked up with talented locals to craft an impressive career path, attracting both the modern and traditional country listener. 2021 saw her two singles, “Pretty Girl” & “Love You To Pieces” amass over half a million streams collectively. Setting the stage for 2022, she finished the year strong, landing features on Spotify’s Best Country Songs of 2021 Canada and Fresh Finds Country: Best of 2021.   But Amanda’s turning out more than music – a quick glance at some online data reveals her other life in acting. She was cast as a […]
April 13, 2023

Artiste du mois / Artist of the Month: Kristine St-Pierre

Kristine St-Pierre est une auteure-compositrice-interprète à la voix de velours. Cette chansonnière au coeur voyageur charme son public avec ses mélodies accrocheuses et l’authenticité de ses textes. Connue pour son aisance sur scène, des textes qui nous interpellent et sa voix mémorable, Kristine St-Pierre propose une musique remplie d’émotion, d’espoir et de force. Suite à la sortie d’un EP en 2010 et de l’album Call Me Crazy en 2012, elle lance La promesse en 2017, un premier opus tout en français. L’album lui mérite une nomination au Prix de la musique folk canadienne dans la catégorie « Auteur-compositeur francophone de l’année ». Elle a également récolté plusieurs nominations aux CMAOntario Awards et a performé au Gala 2022. De concert avec sa carrière, Kristine St-Pierre prête […]
March 8, 2023

Artist of the Month: Roslyn Witter

It was back in 2014 when Roslyn Witter had the experience of a lifetime that assured her that she was on right career path. She signed with Slaight Music and won a singing contest that was hosted by a radio station. The contest awarded her the incredible opportunity to sing a duet with Keith Urban for his then-upcoming concert in Hamilton, ON. The major country icon recognized her talent by kneeling in appreciation and surprising her with an autographed guitar that he later mailed to her. The guitar is a permanent display in her living room! Witter not only grew up appreciating country music; she was born into it. Her Dad, Jim Witter, had ten Top 10 hits (“Distant Drum”, “Everything and More” and “Stolen […]
February 8, 2023

Artist of the Month: Rosewood Ave

From the twang-thang sound flowing out of husband/wife duo Rosewood Ave, it would be easy to think there’s a spiritual connection between Iroquois Falls, ON and the US Midwest, but somehow, Dave and Sabrina’s combined DNA just comes out that way. And like many good stories, it all started with a disaster. A paper mill shutdown can’t be classified as a good thing, but it relocated Dave’s family into a house across the street (or should we say… Ave?) from Sabrina’s and it didn’t take long for the sparks to fly. The value-add showed up when they discovered their voices meshed over shared musical taste. They married in 2017 and two years later, had become confident enough in their musical abilities to approach some music […]

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