Dany Laj and The Looks
Songwriter Laj (Lajeunesse), born and bred in Kirkland Lake, a rural gold-mining camp six hours north of Toronto, is no stranger to being a small town kid growing up in a secluded northern town. Having toured the country and playing any stage he can find, Laj is now in the position to work out his own musical vision, and so far the results have been very exciting. Laj’s heartfelt songs seamlessly meld together elements of rock, folk, and country, without straying too far from the power-pop roots that give the tunes a certain joie de vivre, with nods to tunesmiths like Nick Lowe and Paul Westerberg. The narrative weaved together by Laj’s powerful yet unpretentious lyrics tells the tale of the Northern Ontario kid trying to find his way south, ultimately to Montreal, by way of Sudbury, North Bay, Toronto, and everywhere in between, with stories of finding love, cross-country tours, and broken-down vehicles, but ultimately retaining a strong sense of humour and hope which lies within memorably catchy hooks and intertwining harmonies between Laj and bassist Jeanette Dowling. Dowling and drummer Alexandre Bigras as The Looks, Laj’s crack rhythm section, is rounded out by new recruit Alexandre Fecteau’s ’70s throwback keyboard and sax, providing a rock-solid foundation and perfect complement to Laj’s quirky pop sensibilities, rendering Dany Laj and the Looks an unstoppable force just waiting to win you.
Bella Clava
Bella Clava is a hard hitting rock-and-roll experience based out of Toronto. Since their inception, they have represented the unparalleled energy, charisma and true spirit of dirty rock and roll. This is what their latest album, entitled Medicine for Melancholy, is all about. Embracing dark, haunting melodies and reflecting them through a prism of psychedelic tones and soundscapes. Medicine for Melancholy takes you on a wild ride. Drawing on the strength of genre crossing dynamism, and high energy hard rock spirit, this album promises to draw a line in the sand.Recorded live-off-the-floor at the legendary Rancho de la Luna in Joshua Tree, California with Mathias Schneeberger, engineer and producer to the likes of The Twilight Singers, Fatso Jetson, The Gutter Twins and Fu Manchu, this record is a bundle of focused aggression and musicality. With Medicine for Melancholy, Bella Clava channels the raw spirit of 90s alternative rock while squeezing every iota of strength from their heavy classic rock forebears. Bella Clava is in a fight for the life of hard hitting music everywhere. Bella Clava is Caitlin Dacey (keys, organ, guitar, vocals) Steve Suttie (guitar, vocals) Jody Brumell (drums, vocals) and Scott Hannigan (bass, vocals).
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