Nick Sherman Heads Out on Summer 2016 Tour

Nick Sherman kicked off his 2016 Summer Tour last week in Peterborough at the Garnet. Check out his full summer tour below and catch a show near you.

Anishinaabe singer-songwriter Nick Sherman has long been an RPM favourite and he's out on tour through Canada this summer, heading out from Ontario to BC and back by end of August. Check the full list of shows below and catch him when you can.

Sherman will be touring in support of his most recent album, Knives & Wildrice, which you can stream right here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uobG4h6lA8g

Nick Sherman - Summer 2016 Tour Dates

July 6 | Toronto, ON - The Central July 7 | Orillia, ON - The Brownstone July 8 | Kitchener, ON - The Boathouse July 9 | Six Nations - 6 Arrows Media July 23-24 | Bella Coola, BC - Bella Coola Music Festival July 26 | Port Alberni, BC - Char's Landing July 27 | Nanaimo, BC - The Nanaimo Bar July 28 | Ucluelet, BC - Black Rock Resort July 29 | Ucluelet, BC - Black Rock Resort July 30 | Vancouver, BC - Skwachays Lodge & Gallery August 5 | Sioux Lookout, ON - The Legion August 12-14 | Ear Falls, ON - Trout Forest Music Festival August 24 | Thunder Bay, ON - Live on the Waterfront

For more details visit www.nicksherman.ca

Leonard Sumner Brings New Music to His 2016 Summer Tour

As the music and culture festival season commences, Anishinaabe hip-hop/roots artist Leonard Sumner will be making his way back and forth across the country on the first of his summer tour dates.

"I usually play some new songs, I've been adding some spoken word material to my sets every now and then. It's been getting a great response and more motivation for me to get back in the studio," says Sumner.

After recording some new demos back in January, he hopes to be back in the studio by the end of the year.

It's been awhile since Sumner's popular release, Rez Poetry, but fans can look forward to hearing his classic folksy beats. "It's still on the same path", he says. "It still fits outside the box."

Catch up on his new music this summer, as Leonard Sumner tours across Canada.

Leonard Sumner - Summer 2016 Tour Dates

July 6 - Pacific Rim Arts Fest - Hitacu, BC

July 8-10 - Mariposa Folk Festival - Orillia, ON

July 24-26 - Dawson City Music Fest - Dawson City, YK

July 28 - 2017 Canada Games Countdown - The Forks, Winnipeg, MB

August 12-14 - Interstellar Rodeo - Winnipeg, MB

August 19-21 - Summerfolk Music Fest - Owen Sound, ON

September 2-4 - Shelter Valley Folk Fest - Grafton, ON

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhfBNUI__4c

Check leonardsumner.com for tour updates throughout the summer. He might pop-up in a city near you!

STREAM: David Morin's Soulful Debut Album 'Every Colour' is Beautiful Music for the People

David Morin is being called "the next big thing in music". Listen to Every Colour and you'll see why.

If you grew up in the era of the Soulquarians, Dilla, D'Angelo, Badu and the whole neo-soul movement—well, damn, whenever you were born—you know how those deep, souled out, hip-hop vibes make you feel.

Those jonz in your bones, everybody loves the sunshine, brown sugar, guess I'll see you next lifetime vibes. You know, those soulful feels. The everything is right in the world and despite all the pain and struggle and endless things to worry about you know you need to just kick back and vibe out kind of feels.

That goodness. That realness. Vibes.

That's what Métis artist David Morin's Every Colour has. It's music that moves you with both the rawness of its streetcorner cypher origins and the polish of its professionalism—soulful gems crafted in some hidden Vancouver version of Electric Ladyland, magic made in the quiet hours of long, languid west coast nights.

Morin's take on soul music is studied without sounding derivative. Over the album's 12 tracks, Every Colour effortlessly flows out your speakers with its expertly crafted, on point vocal performances, and produced-to-perfection sheen. But don't get it twisted: the high gloss acoustics are just a bit of honey added to the mix that soak into the depth of Morin's deft musicality and subtle lyrical jabs at systems that aren't working for the people.

Who else is crooning, as Morin does on "You and Me"—"so sadistic / on a mission /  to control the way you think / in a system / where all they do is take/ it's just a classic case / of a fascist state / lying to your face"—over a rolling bassline, Isaac Hayes'd strings, and a breezy, George Benson-esque guitar lick?

Morin makes systemic critique sound like sweet seduction.

Deeply indebted to Voodoo-era aesthetics, Every Colour overflows with D'Angelo-inspired, winding grooves, horns, strings, tasteful guitar stabs, and head-knocking hip-hop beats, that expand and contract in constant interplay with Morin's melodic, layered vocals.

Enlisting acclaimed producer Joby Baker on the boards and with Bombay Records at his back, Morin is already getting love from established hip-hop media outlets: a recent feature in The Source dubbed him "The Next Big Thing in Music" and, just this week, Okayplayer showed him love with a video premiere of his latest single, "Come Home".

Known both for his legendary street performances and live performance skills, Morin is more than just a singer—his multi-instrumental talents as a beatboxer, loop pedalist, beatmaker, and varied vocalist have set him on a rising trajectory to infiltrate mass musical consciousness. We challenge you not to get down.

David Morin is the truth. And his gospel is soulful goodness.

Every Colour is available everywhere on iTunes. Stream the album in full below, and catch him on tour or at a street corner near you.

STREAM: David Morin's Every Colour

WATCH: David Morin's "Come Home"

Samantha Crain's New Album, Under Branch & Thorn & Tree, is the One We've Been Waiting For

With her fourth album, Under Branch & Thorn & Tree, Samantha Crain has hit her stride.

Five years ago in the original RPM offices in Vancouver's Chinatown, a few weeks before the site launched, Ostwelve said to the team "do you know of Samantha Crain?" We stopped to watch the video for Santa Fe and all fell fast for her rich, almost husky croon, her sweet, inviting, folk style. We've all been fans ever since.

As a fan, while I've adored her vocal and musical style since that day, I felt as a songwriter she hadn't yet grown into her own - not something unexpected from a young artist. With her newest release, Under Branch & Thorn & Tree, and now with years of touring and performing and living this life, Crain has grown up and into her voice as a writer and recording artist. The result is not only her best album yet, but one of the best albums this year. I'm excited we can finally say so - RPM was lucky to get an advance listen of the record and we've been bursting to share our praise for it.

“I don’t write protest songs in the traditional sense,” Crain told The Guardian recently, “but I’m always listening to the voices of people around me. These stories are told from the perspective of the underdog, the 99% of us that are working people. They might not be literal protest songs, but the lives of the people within these songs speak at the same volume if you listen.”

Indeed, the songs showcase nimble, poetic lyrics that tell stories of bitter circumstances, the downtrodden, and broken hearts, with a knowing intimacy that comes from the pen of an adept listener. These stories are wrapped in folk and country stylings (with an occasional synth keeping the indie cred alive and well) and despite the sombre or sad stories, they are lifted by striking imagery and elegant musicality.

Samantha Crain serenades The Dakota Tavern, Toronto, Ontario

Crain is an artist who is seemingly always on tour. Earlier this year she did a number of dates opening for Buffy Ste. Marie, she has headlined her own countless shows, and played major festivals - she is at home in front of large crowds. It was a rare treat that her current CD release tour included a stop in Toronto at the legendary but small Dakota Tavern where Crain charmed the lucky, grateful few there.

There may not be another chance to be up close for a solo performance - Under Branch & Thorn & Tree has the makings of a turning point. Catch her live show soon and get the album even sooner. If you haven't fallen for her yet, you will now: this is the album and moody, sweet summer soundtrack you've been waiting for.

Stream the Full Album, Under Branch & Thorn & Tree, below:

The album is also available on Spotify:

Silver Jackson Premieres New Music Video for "Starry Skies Opened Eyes (Pt.II)"

Silver Jackson drops a video for the title track from his latest album, Starry Skies Opened Eyes.

One of our favourite releases of 2014, Silver Jackson's Starry Skies Opened Eyes is a bold imagining of an Indigenous future found in the reclamation of life and the rediscovery of present possibilities in the here and now.

Collaborating with Diné filmmaker Dylan McLaughlin, the Tlingit Unangax̂ artist has released an evocative black and white music video for the album's title track, "Starry Skies Opened Eyes".

Here's what he had to say about the clip and the album:

"Starry Skies Opened Eyes features" vocals from multidisciplinary Métis artist Moe Clark. The album was recorded over a three year period that saw Jackson narrowly escape death in a hunting accident, and traces his path to newfound perspectives on life through love and gratitude…friends and family.

Watch the video below and stream the full album, Starry Skies Opened Eyes, right here on RPM.

Silver Jackson - Starry Skies Opened Eyes (Pt. II) from Dylan McLaughlin

DOWNLOAD: Logan Staats' "Running Like the River"

Download "Running Like the River", the lead single from Logan Staats' debut solo album, Goodbye Goldia.

Mohawk singer Logan Staats is about to take over Indian Country.

The Six Nations musician, born and raised in Brantford, Ontario, has emerged on the Indigenous music scene bearing his guitar like a weapon, and his raw talent and emotion like a suit of armour in a war of heartbreak and redemption.

Staats, who first became known to us as the frontman for Ghost Town Orchestra, has been making waves with his solo work, after debuting a few solo tracks, performances, and videos through his label, 6 Arrows Media.

His debut album, Goodbye Goldia, is set for release on June 21st, and here's a first taste of what to expect: the clarion call of emotional immediacy, a singularly identifiable gift for melody, and an impassioned vocal delivery that overflows with joy, sadness, pain, and power.

This is acoustic music that explores the depths of human experience at its most honest and vulnerable. And Logan Staats is a conduit for that special magic that music holds—a transformative force for remaking pain into pure artistry.

Incredible.

DOWNLOAD: Logan Staats - "Running Like the River"

Samantha Crain Premieres New Video for "Outside the Pale"

Watch an acoustic performance of Samantha Crain's new single, "Outside the Pale".

Although Choctaw singer Samantha Crain's new album, Under Branch & Thorn & Tree, isn't coming out until July, the anticipation is already building.

After premiering the lead single, "Outside the Pale", earlier this month (grab the audio here)—this week Crain premiered a new video of an acoustic performance of the song over at Diffuser.fm.

Crain's incredible voice easily carries the tune, accompanied only by her acoustic guitar work, alongside bandmate John Calvin Abney. Minimal, hypnotic, and moving, "Outside the Pale" is a very good sign that Under Branch & Thorn & Tree will be another stellar release from one of our favourite Indigenous artists.

WATCH: Samantha Crain - "Outside the Pale"

Samantha Crain's Under Branch & Thorn & Tree will be released July 17, 2015. Preorder the album here.

Listen to "Ghost Town", the Lead Single from Nick Sherman's New Album

Stream Nick Sherman's "Ghost Town" the first single from his upcoming album, Knives & Wildrice.

Anyone following the Knives & Wildrice podcast knows two things: first, that Anishinaabe musician Nick Sherman has had a hell of a time making this record; and, second, that the record in question is going to be amazing.

Last week, I&C Media dropped the first single from said album, which shares its title with the eponymous podcast in question, and we were, of course, instantly hooked.

Sherman has the unique talent of being able to take his smoky, raspy vocals and pairing them with mostly acoustic elements and thoughtful lyrics, while managing to avoid the pitfalls of the corny "Cafe Radio", satellite channel-styled associations most often made with "singer-songwriter" music.

"Ghost Town" rings out with the personal, intimate touch that Sherman is already known for, and builds the song into a heartfelt plea for solace and "mercy from the storm".

Check Nick out this summer as part of the Red Ride Tour starting May 23rd in his hometown of Thunder Bay, ON.

STREAM: Nick Sherman - "Home Town"

Knives & Wildrice drops worldwide on May 23, 2015. 

PREMIERE: Stream Raye Zaragoza's Debut EP "Heroine"

Stream Raye Zaragoza's debut EP, Heroine, a beautiful collection of hypnotic love songs.

Raye Zaragoza's music is an effortless mix of old world charm and contemporary sonic seduction. On her debut EP, the New York-based, Pima singer channels both chanteuse and lovestruck acoustic balladeer.

At the heart of the EP is its title track, "Heroine", which as we reported recently, is a lush and nostalgic honeyed love song evoking past and present simultaneously. Zaragoza has a knack for strong hooks and a commanding vocal presence that elevates her most pop-oriented track on the record, "Sleeplovers", to sublime heights as it glides into the captivating hook: "falling in love / would be as easy as falling asleep".

But wrapped around the melodic heart of this release, Zaragoza soars between the EP's slow-burning, hypnotic opener "Wintertime" and the simple acoustic guitar accompaniment of closing track, "Crazy Eyes".

Heroine is an assured debut that offers a glimpse into a rising talent in Indian Country—and the emergence of a compelling artist coming into her own. Highly recommended.

STREAM: Raye Zaragoza's Heroine

Pre-order Heroine on iTunes. The album will be available worldwide on May 11, 2015. 

PREMIERE: Stream Don Amero’s New Album “Refined”

The fifth studio album from Don Amero showcases the Manitoba songwriter at his best yet - truly, Refined.

When Don Amero dropped the first single and video, "Love Like That," last month, we dug that there was a taste of what we and audiences have grown to know and love (and occasionally swoon over) Amero for - i.e. sweet, smooth, acoustic-pop love songs.

But once we got a hold of the complete 10 track album, "Refined," we discovered a lot more.

From five seconds in with the piano-struck downbeat of the first and title track, Amero establishes he's standing on confident footing as a songwriter and performer. Over the course of the album his warm tenor voice maintains his familiar gentle warmth, but also showcases a newly developed strength, range, and flexibility, often supported masterfully by lush but not overwhelming harmonies. Musically Amero still nails his signature mix of acoustic, roots, and pop music, the stuff that earned him the description of "John Mayer meets Keith Urban", while also satisfyingly dipping into a bit of soul and rock.

While Amero does deliver solid feel-good and bittersweet love songs like the first single, and the duet with the one and only Crystal Shawanda "Broken Hearts," on this album he's exploring the outcome of life's bigger challenges and lyrically he weaves messages of struggle, survival, and adversity. At times it's heartbreaking, like in "Falling Shouldn't Feel That Way," but in the soulful organ and horn filled "On Down the Road," the driving "Let Them See You Smile," and the simple to triumphant arc of "Won't Give Up," Amero's message is fuelled with encouragement, positivity, and an eye on resilience, if not healing.

The album title and title track are a fine thesis statement - that living through hardship and change can result in a stronger self. Hitting new levels of writing, delivery, and production, Amero is clearly living what he sings about - chipping away, pushing through, and coming out the other side Refined.

Stream the exclusive first listen now, and check out Don Amero's Canadian CD release tour dates below.

Stream Don Amero’s New Album “Refined”

DON AMERO TOUR DATES - SPRING & SUMMER 2015

Tuesday April 28th - Halifax, NS at The Carleton Thursday April 30th - Wolfville, NS at The Al Whittle Theatre Saturday May 2nd - Halifax, NS - House Concert Tuesday May 5th - PEI - House Concert Tuesday May 19th - Peterborough, ON - The Garnet on Hunter Friday May 22nd - London, ON - The London Music Club Saturday May 24th - Guelph, ON - Lakeside Church Wednesday June 3rd - Rosebud, AB - The Gallery Thursday June 4th - Calgary, AB - The Ironwood Saturday June 6th - Calgary, AB - House Concert Friday June 12th - Winnipeg, MB - The West End Cultural Centre Saturday June 20th - Winnipeg, MB - Aboriginal Day Live Thursday June 25th - Atlin, BC - The Globe Theatre Friday June 26th - Whitehorse, YK - The Old Fire Hall Saturday June 27th - Prince George, BC - House Concert Wednesday July 1st - Vancouver, BC - Canada Day Event

Listen to Kait Angus' "Drive", the Perfect Soundtrack for a Lovers' Escape

San-Francisco-based, Cree/Mohawk singer Kait Angus drops her latest single, "Drive"—a road trip ready, acoustic anthem of love and longing.

Kait Angus has a unique talent for sculpting sound into subtle shapes of desire. Often mixed with a touch of sadness, her melancholy love ballads crackle and fade like dusty old photographs, the receding view of a horizon caught at sunset in the reflected light of the rearview.

"Drive" is a lovers' soundtrack for a road trip into the unknown: an all-night drive, the yearning for perpetual movement to that "somewhere in the in-between". So fill the tank, kick back, and let go. That's just the sound of the rain coming in through the windows.

DOWNLOAD: Kait Angus - "Drive"

Watch Pura Fé Perform 'Sacred Seed' Live on Fip Radio

Legendary vocalist Pura Fé performs "Sacred Seed" on Fip Radio in France.

We can't wait to hear all of Pura Fé's new album, but until then, here's a lovely preview of what's to come, live in studio.

The performance comes as part of the Au fil des Voix (Over the Voice) Festival, now in its 8th year. The 2015 festival features performances by Julia Sarr, Pura Fé, Dorsaf Hamdani, Djazia Satour, Lindigo and Noëmi Waysfeld in exclusive acoustic sessions.

The Parisian festival Au fil des Voix / Over the Voice has established itself as a must-attend event for world music that celebrates the rich cultural diversity of the world. This eighth edition will be held from January 29 to February 9, 2015 at the Alhambra and Studio of the Hermitage.

Watch Pura Fé Perform 'Sacred Seed'

Pura Fé : Session Live spéciale Au Fil des Voix... by Fipradio