'Cross the Tracks
The songs and the stories behind the songs as told by the songwriter - track by track.
Libby & Cal - The Hagstrom-Schmidt Affair
Libby & Cal where a Millennial autoharpist meets a Boomer 12-string player at a festival and all sorts of musical magic ensues. Acoustic duo Libby & Cal transcend boundaries and trip across genres while tackling subjects that are rarely voiced in song. A delightfully risqué, painfully honest and musically stimulating experience.
Libby plays her DIY-modified autoharp. Cal plays the 12-string he swapped for a bicycle. Together, Libby & Cal perform eclectic but surprisingly catchy indie-folk music. The Ottawa-based duo have played at various venues in Ontario and Quebec, as well as the 2025 California Autoharp Gathering.
Libby bought her a...
Amanda Rheaume - The Truth We Hold
Amanda Rheaume, a Citizen of the Métis Nation of Ontario, is an award winning singer-songwriter with a slightly gritty, deeply personal and instantly accessible Americana sound.
In title and spirit, The Truth We Hold is a collection of songs of Métis people, places and stories across centuries. A Métis songbook for future generations, the new album maps events, place names and family history with a careful, loving hand, drawing untold and unacknowledged experiences into the light.
Amanda Rheaume is the recipient of the 2024 Spirit of Folk Award, 2023 Canadian Fold Music Award for Ind...
Stan Louttit - NORTHBOUND51
The debut album from NORTHBOUND51 is about longing for home, the land, and the people of our small town. We sing about human relationships, love, and life’s journey that take us away from home. We sing about the train that eventually takes us back north through muskeg, across rivers, by lakes; eventually home to our parents, grandparents and friends.
NORTHBOUND51 is Marilyn Gunner-Mcleod (vocals, acoustic guitar), Darrell Mcleod (electric guitars) and Stan Louttit (Bass guitar).
James Gordon - Emergency Climate Musical
James Gordon’s Emergency Climate Musical – His one-man show is a ninety-minute theatrical investigation of what surely is THE issue in these uncertain times. Filled with compelling songs, videos, images, stories, rants, laughter, tears, audience participation, a creepy puppet and some concrete ways to face this crisis, James promises to entertain, inform, and leave you with homework.
Follow along as he outlines his premise that we need a total political, societal and economic make-over to face the incredible challenge ahead.
He’s got the cred for the job: James moonlit as a Guelph City Councilor for 8 years, where...
Mudfoot Mike McDonald - Groovin' The Blues
Mudfoot Mike McDonald has traveled the road that calls itself home, the blues. Originally from Nova Scotia, Mudfoot Mike found himself a home in the Toronto music scene for a very long stretch, carving out a slice of Canadian blues history as the in-house music director at legendary Grossman’s Tavern, and often as performer and bandmate on guitar and vocals. It was there where the best of the best would find themselves on stage when they weren’t touring somewhere on the continent or abroad. Mike toured extensively then, less so now, but always then and now with a de...
Tough Old Bird - Garden Dream
Tough Old Bird was formed by songwriting brothers Matthew and Nathan Corrigan in a rural corner of Western New York. Since releasing ‘Gambling Days’ in 2016, the duo has taken their singular style of modern folk music to coffee shops, listening rooms, music clubs, dive bars, campgrounds and front porches across the United States. The band’s newly expanded lineup features Ricky Bechard on drums and Brendan O’Shea on bass.
GARDEN DREAM – The band’s fullest and most collaborative effort to date. Born out of years of songwriting, it was recorded over the course of several fruitful sessions hel...
Roddy Ellias - Moon Over Lake
Roddy Ellias: Acoustic Jazz Beyond Borders
“Moon Over Lake is a beautiful solo album full of emotions and colors. I love Roddy’s compositions and his warm and rich tone. I wanted to listen to one tune to start with but ended up listening to the whole album. What a beautiful Journey…” Lionel Loueke, guitarist (Herbie Hancock, Chris Potter, Gretchen Parlato)
“I’m lucky to be friends with Roddy Ellias, who happens to be one of the finest guitarists on planet earth. This is so beautiful.” Joel Frahm (Betty Carter, Brad Mehldau, Kurt Elling)
Canadian jaz...
Jupiter Marvelous - Isn't This Supposed To Be Fun
Jupiter Marvelous asks Isn't This Supposed To Be Fun on their first full length album, self produced and arranged. Songwriter and frontman, Anthony Marcello, expresses a wide palate of musical influences and blends them into sterling pop gems.
"Jupiter Marvelous is a band which is hard to pigeonhole. We play surf/indie inspired rock music. Inspired by bands such as The Drums, Tame Impala, Dominic Fike, the Early Beatles and so many others, Jupiter Marvelous pulls from traditional pop music and music of the mid century to create a sound uniquely their own. Born and raised in S...
John Hewitt - Going Down The Only Road
John Hewitt is a force not seen since the end of the 70’s. There are bands, artists and songwriters that mimic and imitate but John Hewitt absorbs and reimagines. From folk clubs to house concerts, festivals to halls John is a master of storytelling, arranging, producing and a painter of poems scarcely seen in today’s musical climate. Since his early teens taking in the powerful sounds of the Beatles, Tom Petty, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison and the Grateful Dead he has been wandering, searching and yielding a crop of new ideas from the old world. A mult...
Sagen Pearse of Hollowsage & The Three Mile Islanders - Aftermath
Sagen Pearse, also known as Hollowsage, balances his life as a funeral director by day and a musician whenever the muse strikes. Drawing from a well of life lessons, stories from past lives, and journeys through alternate dimensions, Sagen crafts each song with a depth that invites listeners to ponder their own mortality and the mysteries of existence. His unique perspective on life, love, dying, and the dead infuses his music with a haunting beauty that resonates on a deeply personal level.
Together with his band, The Three Mile Islanders—longtime friends Geoff Holt, Justin Dillon, Matt Gunn, an...
Matthew James - Good Talk
Matthew James is a Sault Ste. Marie based songwriter.
His lyrical sensibility and style has been meticulously crafted through theatrical story-telling, as well as a penchant for the heartbreaking, yearning, and honest poetry of Joni Mitchell, Harry Chapin, James Taylor, etc. His percussive acoustic sound and expressive live performances spring an outpouring of nostalgia. He is not one to miss.
"Hey everyone! I truly hope you enjoy this song. I put my whole heart into creating it. I wanted to explore the feeling of frustration and anger that comes with betrayal. At first, you're in shock...
Michael Waite - We've Always Been At Home
A melding of earthy grace and campfire poeticism, singer, songwriter, and guitarist Michael Waite hails from the north shore of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Weaving together a combination of folk, jazz, Americana, blues, and classic singer/songwriter elements, Waite’s songs explore the geography and nuances of everyday life while keeping a keen eye on the pursuit of happiness and wholeness. Common themes in his work include the wonders of the natural world, the mysteries of the spiritual, and the joys of kith and kin. He’s not afraid to sing about his darkness too, but at the end of the...
Wax Mannequin - The Red Brain
Wax Mannequin is the stage name of Chris Adeney, a Canadian indie rock singer-songwriter. His style has been described as “a hybrid of Bruce Cockburn and Frank Zappa”, “Tom Waits and Type O Negative jamming on the early Beatles catalogue”, and “Rheostatics via Savatage”. Carl Wilson of The Globe and Mail noted that “crowds are often baffled whether to be awed, irritated or amused by Wax’s all-rockets-flaring, un-Canadian-like extravagant performances.” (Wikipedia)
“The Obelisk” sees Adeney set the stage for the new record, which is said to be his most personal yet, detailing the singer-songwriter’s feelings of alienation through co...
Steve Strongman - Struck Down By The Strongman Blues Remedy
Canadian Guitar Ace, JUNO winner, and Multiple Maple Blues Award winner Steve Strongman has just co-produced, co-written, and guested on the Fabulous Thunderbird’s 50th Anniversary 2024 release “Struck Down, on Stony Plain records.
Struck Down was nominated for 2 Grammy Awards - Best Traditional Blues Album & Best American Roots Performance!
This record debuted at #1 in both the United States and Canada, and features Strongman with guests Bonnie Raitt, Billy Gibbons, Keb Mo, Taj Mahal, Mick Fleetwood, Elvin Bishop and Terrence Simien. Strongman will be on tour supporting the Thunderbirds in 2024/2025.
Strongman, also a Memphis Interna...
Julian Taylor - Pathways
There are so many stars in the music world that shine only for a moment. And there are stars that rise and fall, but the heat of some stars can’t be contained and must rise again. Toronto based singer-songwriter Julian Taylor is one of those phoenix-like stars.
His first moment in the sky started and ended with the hit-making band Staggered Crossing. After their breakup, Julian could have walked away, satisfied with that bright, brief moment. Instead, he went back to work, starting at the bottom, playing in cover bands, working bars, running an open stage as...
Roddy Ellias - Moon Over Lake
Roddy Ellias: Acoustic Jazz Beyond Borders
“Moon Over Lake is a beautiful solo album full of emotions and colors. I love Roddy’s compositions and his warm and rich tone. I wanted to listen to one tune to start with but ended up listening to the whole album. What a beautiful Journey…” Lionel Loueke, guitarist (Herbie Hancock, Chris Potter, Gretchen Parlato)
“I’m lucky to be friends with Roddy Ellias, who happens to be one of the finest guitarists on planet earth. This is so beautiful.” Joel Frahm (Betty Carter, Brad Mehldau, Kurt Elling)
Canadian jaz...
Eric Brombacher & The Soo – Algoma Street
Visit: eastsideconfectioneryrecords.com/author/ericthesoo
I guess if this was an interview, maybe somewhere along the way I would be asked “why Algoma Street? What is the meaning behind the title of this EP?”. Well, I’m glad you asked! It is inspired by a happy coincidence that we stumbled upon back in 2017. Some of you may already be aware that I grew up in Sault Ste. Marie (aka ‘The Soo’) which is where the band name comes from. Sault Ste. Marie happens to located within the District of Algoma (for my American friends, ‘district’ is...
Ray Bonneville - A Song'n'Groove Man
TICKETS: algomaconservatory.com/the-store/p/ray-bonneville
RAY BONNEVILLE – Annual Sault Concert Celebration – Sunday September 15, 2024 – 7:00 pm – THE LOFT
Ray Bonneville has taken a long and imaginative path in a remarkable music career that has taken him all over North America and Europe. Playing in his signature style and voice, Ray’s impressive catalogue reflects a keen eye for interesting characters and the common struggles we all face in everyday life.
Ray was born in Hull, Quebec (now Gatineau, Quebec), in a family that spoke solely French. His father found work in Boston...
Ray Bonneville – On The Blind Side
On The Blind Side songs range from the hopeful Lucky Moon to the sinister Night Cab, a song born of Ray’s experience as a cab driver in Boston, and a fitting story-line for a classic film-noir. Woven throughout the record are simple and sometimes painful life lessons: the title track, On the Blind Side, looks back over a lifetime of unknowing missteps, and Even With Time disputes the familiar adage ‘time heals all things.
Visit: raybonneville.com
RAY BONNEVILLE – Annual Sault Concert Celebration – Sunday September 15, 2024 – 7:00 pm – THE LOFT TICKETS: algomaconservatory.com/the-store/p/ray-bonneville
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The Damn Truth – On Love & Now Or Nowhere
The Damn Truth are Lee-la Baum (lead vocals/guitar), Tom Shemer (lead guitar/vocals), PY Letellier (bass/vocals) and Dave Traina (drums/vocals).
Now or Nowhere is the third album by The Damn Truth, a band that, in many ways, has been hiding in plain sight for the last nine years. They’ve played Europe and crisscrossed the USA and Canada, opened tours for ZZ Top (and partied with Billy Gibbons in his pyjamas), the Sheepdogs, Styx and Rival Sons, sold out the legendary Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles, sold out the Corona Th...
Lynn Miles – The Songwriter’s Songwriter
Lynn Miles is an award winning singer-songwriter, record producer, teacher, writer, public speaker.
She’s also pretty funny, a 3 minute standup routine is at the top of her bucket list.
Lynn has 16 albums to her credit. She won a Juno award (Canadian Grammy)in 2003 for Roots Traditional Album of the year, and went on to be nominated in the same categories in 2011 and 2006. She is also the recipient of 6 Canadian Folk Music Awards including 3 for songwriter of the year. Her 2 most recent awards we given to her duo THE LYNNeS for songwriters of the year, and en...
Matt Warnock – Homecoming
HOMECOMING … from MATT WARNOCK
I recently launched my debut solo jazz guitar album, “Homecoming.”
It reflects my 25-year journey back home to Northern Ontario.
The album’s tracks tell my story—reconnecting with my roots, family, and the charm of Northern Ontario.
“Homecoming” is available on: Spotify Apple Music Amazon Music YouTube
I’d be honored if you’d take a listen.
Visit: www.mwgcourses.com
About Matt Warnock Guitar
Hi there! I’m Matt, a passionate jazz guitarist and de...
Hawksley Workman – Less Rage More Tears
Hawksley Workman is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter who has garnered critical acclaim for his blend of cabaret pop and glam rock. Workman has released twelve full-length albums throughout his career. A multi-instrumentalist, he plays guitar, drums, bass, keyboards and sings on his records, often switching between those instruments when playing live.
Workman is a prolific artist, usually writing, recording, mastering and releasing entire albums in the span of a few weeks. He explains, “A lot of artists I know they get a year and a half away from a record they’ve just made it’s like … ‘Oh … it’s...
Rita Visser – Northern Daydream
Rita Visser was born and raised on the shores of Lake Superior in rural Thunder Bay, Rita’s voice wraps the audience in a warm blanket as they join her around the campfire.
A natural storyteller, Rita weaves together daily moments, family life, conversations with friends, and interactions with new people to share her own story through song.
The reflective ballads about her life experiences are described as pure, emotional, and straightforward – always telling it like it is – and always leaving the audience wanting more.
As someone who grew up on a rustic fishing island, preserving Canada...
Alex Mason – Ghost of the Great Lakes
Alex Mason tackles the challenges of the mind’s dark places with his impelling album from 2023, Ghost of the Great Lakes. The 10-track journey is an honest and personal account of Alex’s own experience, played out in the backdrop of the mystery that the Great Lakes forever pulls on. Mason shares details on what moved him to write the record and what effect the process had on him.
Ghost of the Great Lakes is Mason’s first full-length album. In 2015 he released a 4-song EP, Jasper and then in 2018, 3-song performance recording titled, Salt and the Sea (L...
THUNDERCLAP! – Strange Songs For Strange Times
A live THUNDERCLAP! show is reminiscent of traditional storytelling. A few choice covers are sprinkled randomly amongst his originals, some spoken word pieces, stories about the songs, ramblings on contemporary issues and engaging banter with the audience. When THUNDERCLAP! slings his sonic sorcery it’ll leave unsuspecting spectators in shock. A hilarious and mind-rattling surrealism weaves throughout his unique brand of toe-tapping, gut-wrenching melodies. No two THUNDERCLAP! performances are the same, so you’re always in for a truly unique experience.
THUNDERCLAP!’s second LP “Strange Songs For Strange Times” released in August 2023. It features acclaimed Coast to Coast A...