JUNO Award Winner Blue Moon Marquee Captures The Big Easy Sound With Latest Album ‘New Orleans Sessions’

JUNO Award winning, British Columbia-based Indie Blues duo A.W. Cardinal and Jasmine Colette, best known as Blue Moon Marquee, made huge strides with their highly lauded, critically acclaimed, award-winning album Scream, Holler & Howl. Now the energetic, high-octane tandem are back with a rollicking batch of ridiculously lively toe-tapping originals and covers with New Orleans Sessions.
 
To think such gorgeous, old-school material dazzling with style & infectious spirit could be crafted over two days one year apart is simply amazing. But that's what guitarist/vocalist Cardinal and singer, drummer and upright bassist Colette (aka Badlands Jass) did with New Orleans Sessions. Recorded at Bigtone Studios and surrounded by a stellar cast of New Orleans' finest musicians and engineer (and harmonica player) Big Jon Atkinson. the live, off-the-floor energy throughout is captured perfectly.
 
"These two afternoon recordings were a fine pleasure to experience," the band says. "The musicians we had the good fortune to play with and have style for miles and know how to have a good time all the while. Jon is a true-blue lover and aficionado of the music, and it shows in everything he does, whether his hands are on an instrument or in the back room on the dials. We all sat in one room together & played the music in the truest form"
 
The recording process was as raw and simplistic as you can find. Blue Moon Marquee would "run the song once or twice and hit record, play the song two or three times and that's what you got babe." In an age where AI and computers can make anyone sound like any artist imaginable, Blue Moon Marquee's approach was as pure as you could hope for: "no overdubs, no slick tricks."
 
The result leaves listeners of New Orleans Sessions picking up their jaws off the floor. The opening Memphis Minnie classic “Black Rat Swing" features Colette's sassy, spirited vocal prowess sounding like "Little Miss Dynamite" Brenda Lee while the music would leave you thinking the late legendary Fats Domino was in the adjacent studio jotting down crib notes. Meanwhile Cardinal and Colette are the perfect foils for the call-and-response "Ain't Goin Down," the Leadbelly tune which here blossoms thanks to Danny Abrams' baritone sax and BC Coogan on the upright piano. Drummers Brett Gallow and Nicholas Solnick were also crucial to the sound of New Orleans Sessions.
 
Blue Moon Marquee spent over a decade touring North America and Europe and performing essentially wherever a stage was available, from prisons and hospitals to jazz clubs and festival stages. Cardinal and Colette, originally from Rocky Mountain House, Alberta and Badlands, Alberta, respectively, made huge strides with their fourth album Scream, Holler & Howl.  The album earned them a JUNO Award for Blues Album of the Year and swept the 2023 Maple Blues Awards as the band took home Album of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Acoustic Act of the Year and Entertainer of the Year. They also received a Western Canadian Music award and two Summer Solstice Indigenous Music Awards.
 
The band is guaranteed to keep that momentum riding with New Orleans Sessions, especially on original material like the rollicking country blues-based "Trickster Coyote" featuring Jon Atkinson on harmonica. The slow but spectacular "What I Wouldn't Do" shines, a tune Blue Moon Marquee describes as " a blues in the key of D about a human being wild in love. Finding the mate to your soul and recognizing the truth in that."
 
Blue Moon Marquee are supporting New Orleans Sessions with concerts through the rest of 2024 and well into 2025 with shows in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan. And judging by just how good this new album is, look for Blue Moon Marquee in bright lights from Nunavut to New Orleans and beyond.
 

LAZARUS HEIGHTS ANNOUNCE DEBUT ‘PAPILLON ‘ALBUM

 

Their first video single topped 3.5k views in the first three weeks of its release;  Lazarus Heights "Lazarus Heights" 

The band comprises singer songwriter, vocalist and guitarist Dick Grisdale, drummer Jeff Gautier, Paul Mouradian on keyboards and bv’s and bassist Simon Pearson.

 

‘Papillon’ is a deeply wrought album full of Grisdale's charismatic presence, real emotion and songcraft.

 

He brings his colourful narratives to life with baritone phrasing which evokes icons such as Jim Morrison, Nick Cave, Jackie Leven, David Bowie and Scott Walker.

“I urge you to buy this album, it is everything that is both good and great about music. Mark under ‘Absolutely essential’! Rock Poser (UK)

 

“Grisdale’s deep and charismatic voice sometimes has Bowie intonations.” France Bleu Perigord.fr 

 

‘Papillon' is a song driven album framed by  a visceral sonic quality, with atmospheric drones, walls of sound and a variety of guitar tones that sometimes recall Paul Kossoff,  David Gilmour and Mark Knopfler.

 

“Papillon’ glistens with lyrical imagery and sonic mastery.” Guitar Door (Ireland).

“A great band and an amazing album.” Eric Schot/ Nite Flite Rock Show (NL)

 

A big sounding rock album with 10 hugely original songs,  the 2 covers, include Jacques Brel’s ‘Next’, given an Alex Harvey treatment.

 

The whole album flows into the closing self-titled anthem ‘Lazarus Heights’, which is an essential statement of what the band is all about.

 

"The mini-epic “Lazarus Heights” ties all these varied strands together in one vertiginous travelogue of a human psyche – a fitting finale for something worth waiting for a score of years. A mighty set.” Let It Rock Canada

 

"The single 'Lazarus Heights' concludes in full majesty this convincing classic rock album, where the boundaries of space and time are abolished. Warmly recommended to any fan of the genre. Paris Move  

 

"Papillon' definitely has that classic rock feel, and commercial radio should surely grasp at some of the tracks that would sound great on late evening radio." Rock The Joint (UK) 

 

Originally formed in 2005 by Dick Grisdale, Lazarus Heights steadily built their profile in the Dordogne area of South West France, before seasoned rock drummer Jeff Gautier joined the band in 2020.

 

Boosted by Gautier’s experience (Calvin Russell, Jean Jacques Goldman and Paul Personne) the band quickly went into the studio to cut the well received 7 track Maxi EP called ‘Strangers’. 'Papillon' is a step up in terms of song and production values, on a big sounding album built on resonant melodies, big hooks and haunting vocals.

Bluesman David Gogo Says “Yeah” to the Rock on Electrifying New Album

Even if a guy has given his life to the blues, there are times when he just can’t resist the primal urge to rock out. Especially when his friends are there to egg him on. That’s where David Gogo finds himself on his new album, YEAH!—a dizzying compendium of career bests that pulses with the kind of energy that only comes from just the right combination of commitment and camaraderie.
 
Song like “One More Day” and “Moose Hall Brawl” have the raw, zealous abandon of a boys’ night out. And that’s the kind of prospect that gets all the more inviting when your boys happen to be some of the greatest players on the Canadian blues scene. Leadoff track “Diamond In The Rough” sets the tone in no uncertain terms, absolutely storming out of the gate with a fiery declaration of passion both musical and lyrical:
 
She’s my sugar, she’s my spice
I still love her when she’s not playing nice
She’s my diamond in the rough
And I can’t get enough of that stuff
She really perks me up
She’s my diamond in the rough
 
“I wanted a good, solid rock and roll song to kick this album off, and I believe that this one delivers,” Gogo says. “I love the fantastic ’70s rock bands like Bad Company and T-Rex, and we had a gas laying this track down!”
 
It sure sounds like it. The track has all the guitar bite of classic FM, with some insanely catchy chants to push it over the finish line into “crowd favorite” territory. Close your eyes, and you can practically see the band’s own heads nodding and their fists pumping between riffs.
 
“I have recorded many albums, worked with many talented people and had a lot of fun, but this album is my favourite to date,” Gogo enthuses. For that, the Nanaimo, BC-based singer/guitarist can thank his decision to leave his comfort zone and travel to snowy Ontario to work at The Ganaraska Recording Co., under the trusted production guidance of fellow Canadian blues great Steve Marriner. Gogo even restricted himself to bringing one guitar of his own, recording the rest of the album on the studio’s collection of vintage axes. With Marriner and fellow blues mainstays Jimmy Bowskill and Gary Craig forming his backup ensemble, Gogo had all the ammo he needed to create something truly special.
 
“This group was a pleasure to create with—top-notch performers and super cool to hang with,” he says. “I feel that the new songs are very strong, and there was such a great vibe in the studio. Though it was a relaxed and supportive environment, we worked at a quick rate and utilized plenty of first or second takes to keep the live energy happening.”
 
The result is 10 tunes that positively quake with power, Gogo’s guitar reaching levels of string-bending expressiveness that need to be heard to be believed on the nine originals and one cover (a shimmying rendition of Shuggie Otis’ “Hurricane” you could absolutely frug to).
 
The whole project is a more-than-worthy addition to a CV that’s already seen its share of highlights. Over the course of his illustrious career, Gogo has been nominated for six JUNO Awards, won Guitarist Of The Year three times at the Maple Blues Awards, been named Musician Of The Year at the West Coast Music Awards, won Blues Recording Of The Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards and received the Great Canadian Blues Award  (as voted by the listeners of CBC’s Saturday Night Blues) for his lifetime contribution to the blues in Canada. Whew! And even if you don’t own one of his records, you’ve probably heard his songs in films and on TV, or heard them covered by a panoply of fellow artists like Buddy Guy.
 
Perpetually in demand as a live performer, Gogo has played alongside the likes of BB King, Johnny Winter, Albert Collins, Bo Diddley and Otis Rush. And he’s opened shows for ZZ Top, George Thorogood, The Tragically Hip, Little Feat, Jimmie Vaughan, Robert Cray, Robin Trower and Wishbone Ash.
 

Blues Rock Artist Mark Wihlidal and Producer Chris Birkett Collaborate on Age-Defying "One More Time" Single

The adage about time is that it remains undefeated. Everyone has to go at some point. But with today's musical landscape, artists continue to defy Father Time (and the Grim Reaper) by performing well into their sixties, seventies and beyond. From the Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen to Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson, age is just a number. And Oshawa-based blues rock artist Mark Wihlidal and producer/guitarist Chris Birkett are taking that idea to the masses with the great, engrossing single "One More Time."
 
Wihlidal says "One More Time," produced by Chris Birkett and featuring Birkett's guitar work, was inspired by the idea of equating one's age to one's self-worth or ability as an artist. "This song is about an aging artist who wants to keep getting on the stage and performing as they always have," Wihlidal says. "They don't want to be left behind or forgotten. They want their music to live on and not fade away. They feel that even though they are aged, they still have lots to give as an artist."
 
"One More Time" is a thoughtful, slow-building song as Wihlidal's powerful and passionate delivery shines while the electric guitar works its magic thanks to both Wihlidal and Birkett. Think of some combination between Canadian artist Tom Cochrane and the earthy, roots feel of John Hiatt and "One More Time" comes into full view over nearly four and a half enjoyable minutes.
 
Please let me sing one more day
Please let me play before I'm cast away
One more time, before I leave it all behind
Please don't let me fade away.
 
Although Wihlidal says the inspiration for "One More Time" wasn't initially coming from personal experience, he realized that aging and performing is "a hot topic" for him. "It has been implied that my age has lost me a few performances," he says. "I was told that I cannot be an 'emerging artist' because I am older.
 
"Why is it that the music business only wants youth and beauty? When we listen to a song, do you think about the age of the artist or how they look? NO...Never. Music is ageless. Performing is great for the soul at any age."
 
Wihlidal, whose work has been featured in various Ontario daily publications both in his hometown of Oshawa and as far west as Niagara Falls, released the single "Life Can Be A Mystery" in 2022. In 2023 he released "You and Me" with the Doctors of Music, a group Wihlidal amicably parted company with earlier in 2024. Wihlidal has also been featured on several music sites ranging from Cashbox and Tinnitist to Record World and Canadian Beats.
 
Now with a new single and having recently performed dates in Alberta, Mark Wihlidal looks forward to new material and music in 2024 and beyond. He also hopes to collaborate with Birkett again. "He's a true gentleman and boy can he play guitar," Wihlidal says.
 
And just like the message heard loud and clear in "One More Time," Wihlidal isn't putting his feet up and retiring anytime soon. "Personally, you will have to drag me off a stage to put me in the grave. Aging artists deserve more attention. Artists AT ANY AGE have lots to share."
 
It's a timeless message for a song that sounds timeless.

Seeing Is Believing: Boston Blues Rocker Scott Albert Johnson Holds Tomorrow Up To The Light On “Invisible”

You can treat the future as a daunting mystery to shrink from, or as a challenge to run toward with arms outstretched. Boston Singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Scott Albert Johnson opts for the latter on his current single, “Invisible,” a moving exhortation to jettison one’s fear of the unknown and bravely shoulder on through uncertain times, and now on over 60 radio stations across North America.
 
In a compelling, worldly voice that pinpoints his hopefulness as anything but youthful naïveté, Johnson lets us know he’s standing on the cusp of … well, something … and has made up his mind to find out what’s on the other side.
 
[I’m] staring at the invisible
I’m going to find a way to see
I’m looking straight ahead into the eyes
Of who I’m going to be
 
"With ‘Invisible’, I wanted to create a song that captured the nervous sense of foreboding that seems to be enveloping all of us right now," Johnson says. "Between the rise of AI and similarly advanced technologies, climate change, and a seemingly intractable sense of ‘us against them’ in our own backyard, it’s easy to feel hopeless. In spite of the heavy subject, however, the song is ultimately about optimism emerging from darkness.”
 
Taken purely as music, the track is sweet vindication of the St. Louis-born, Jackson, MS-raised Johnson’s diverse background and tastes. Its sonic palate confirms his trajectory as a Dylanesque, socially and spiritually conscious balladeer, but also nods to a host of other influences that includes Peter Gabriel,  Radiohead, U2, the Police, Daniel Lanois, Pink Floyd, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Miles Davis and Bruce Hornsby.

Plus, the recording itself is a tour de force for Johnson: He played all the instruments except the drums (which were performed by his longtime collaborator, Kenny Graeber) and sang every vocal line save a backing part by his son, Charlie Johnson. There are also some highly satisfying blasts from the elder Johnson on his trademark instrument, the harmonica—his proficiency at which has made him the toast of music connoisseurs far and wide.
 
“Scott Albert Johnson manhandles his harmonica with a master’s flair,” Goldmine has raved. “He is a triple-threat artist who can sing, write and blow his emotions clear on out of his harmonica like nobody’s business.”
 
The musical and lyrical pull of “Invisible” takes on an added dimension in its haunting music video, which shows Johnson in both his full, corporeal form and as a stylized, sketch-like animation. The loose and highly symbolic narrative finds the artist standing at the edge of an ocean, initially hesitant to enter but ultimately immersing himself in the water, baptized and ready for whatever lies ahead.
 
The entire project was borne of the pandemic, a pressurized situation that inspired Johnson to hone his skills at playing various instruments and learn how to record himself properly at home. The result pushes him even farther into the uncharted territory he began to explore on his previous single, “Float,” which ended up getting airplay on more than 75 stations throughout the U.S. and being named "Pick of the Week" by Ann Delisi at WDET in Detroit. “Invisible” shows all the signs of connecting on an even deeper level, as it likewise mines the emotional unease we’ve all felt over the last few years. To Johnson, both songs are equally cathartic from a personal standpoint, since they were worked up at a time when he was facing a serious health scare.
 
“A few times, it looked like it could be life-threatening,” he reveals. “Fortunately, that has turned out not to be the case. But it’s been life-changing in terms of just getting through the day, although things have improved since I wrote these songs.”
 
Then again, pretty much Johnson’s entire life has been a case study in taking leaps of faith. He’s lived not only in St. Louis and Jackson, but in Canada, Washington, D.C., and Boston as well. And he’s done everything from study at Harvard to work in the Office of Management and Budget in D.C. to provide full-time counseling to students at his old high school. Although his musical career didn’t truly begin in earnest until he finally decided to master the harmonica in his late 20s, the payoff has been rich indeed: He’s been featured as a guest artist with the Boston Pops, won a performing-arts fellowship from the Mississippi Arts Commission and been named one of the “Hot 100” harp players worldwide by The Harmonica Company in the U.K.
 
So who better to preach the virtues of taking a chance and staring the world’s potentially confounding future square in the eye?
 
“I kind of say, ‘Bring it on,’” Johnson says. “I’m not making light of it; I think there may be some dark times ahead. But I am sort of a short-range pessimist and a long-range optimist. I think we’ll make it, eventually.”