Inside Today's Country

2020The Year In review

This week we look back at the year that went sideways with my buddy and fellow Music Director Shilo.

Trevoer Panczak

"Where I Go to Come Back” is the latest release to add to your playlist from Canadian country music singer songwriter and entertainer, Trevor Panczak.

“Where I Go to Come Back” is a song for the times. As life continues with its mounting complexities and uncertainty, this heartfelt song is filled with airy lines of nostalgia and memories of a simpler time that we used to know and now yearn for. Trevor helps us take a breath and takes us back home with another smooth, country vocal performance. 
The lyric "...to come back from the world that's turning' crazy back from the roar of the radio news…” touches on the world at hand and “back to the place where I can see reality” identifies what’s really important in life.

Trevor delivers in a sophisticated, relatable fashion which is typical of the 6 foot 5 inch gentle giant.

Video Link: https://youtu.be/TD2d2QkrDDA

Matt Teed

Matt Teed is a singer-songwriter-recording artist from Ontario. Matt’s raspy yet soulful vocals breathe a palpable intimacy into his songs and live performances. An old soul with an abundance of vibrant energy, Matt draws inspiration from a wide range of genres in order to elicit the perfect emotion to match any given story. Matt’s dynamic sound is trademarked by an emotion-packed vocal complemented by an instrumental backing loaded to the brim with pop and punch, uniquely mirroring Matt’s natural energy and passion

Shane Harluk

Shane Harluk’s songs rely heavily on a long-time love of country music. But the Calgary-based singer/songwriter has roots that extend into classic Canadian pop rock and well into modern Americana.  It’s his love of all music that propels him to write and record music that resonates with listeners of all ages and backgrounds. 

Harluk has played at events and venues, ranging from the Country Thunder Festival, the Calgary Stampede and his own local concert series Country Night Live that he hosts, performs, and invites other local artists to showcase their talent at in support of local musicians.  Alongside his daughter Jennie Harluk, Country Night Live is an evening for all ages that packs the Calgary Petroleum Club full, and has steadily been growing a fan base in and around the city.  

“Songwriting and music are something that cross every boundary between people.  Whether they’re separated by age, religion, background or color, there’s a beat that just seems to move a person, and a song that reaches all of us no matter where we are coming from… It’s what every songwriter dreams of, that moment you move someone”

www.shaneharluk.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shane-Harluk/1543988029190556
https://twitter.com/shaneharluk

Sean Hogan

This week a great chat with Sean Hogan!  His new single is out now "You Can't Cry You Can't Laugh"

 

Find him on line at www.seanhogan.net 

Shantaia

This week I had the pleasure of chatting with Shantaia about her new single "two cents'

Owen Barney

Owen Barney

"Thank Her For That"

Let this song take you away… 

to warm breezes and blue skies…

…and a break-up that you’re actually thankful for!!

“Cold tequila with a little lime, since she left I’m on island time, I can thank her for that"

No stranger to the Canadian country scene, Owen Barney has been doing things the right way - by playing shows, releasing great music, and winning over fans one at a time! 

Now he’s ready to release a song that we know will resonate. A tongue-in-cheek summer jam that plays to the idea of finding the silver lining in a difficult situation. An uplifting fun vibe that we could all use right now!

Please welcome “Thank Her For That”

A little about Owen Barney:

Born and raised in Toronto, Owen Barney spent his summers in cottage country Muskoka, where he began strumming the guitar at age 7 and performing for the locals. Influenced by country heavy-hitters like Eric Church, Dean Brody, and Jason Aldean, Owen now has a style all his own, and has been hitting the stage at venues and festivals across the country (Boots & Hearts, Country Wild, Horton Hoedown, Toronto Beer Fest).

His debut single “Letting Go” gained immediate attention, hitting #13 on the Global Viral Spotify Chart within its first week, garnering over 2 Million streams across streaming platforms.

It’s time for Owen to shine and he’s ready. Please give this kid the chance to prove it.

 “What I’ve always hoped for myself is to someday be performing to a crowd that knows every word of my songs. That’s the dream.” 

~ Owen Barney

“Barney’s maturity and natural talent as a performer allows him to be a storyteller so young in his career”  

~ Front Porch Music

“Fuses soulful song writing and easy breezy vocals.”

~ Canadian Beats

Eric Ethridge

The second single off of Eric's new album set for release this fall

• Over 35 MILLION streams globally
• Over 100,000 social fans 
• Last single ‘Dream Girl’ was written by Grammy award winners Dan&Shay and has already been streamed over 2.5 MILLION times globally
• 155,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and 9,500 followers – 57% of Eric’s streams come from users saved libraries and playlists
• 11,814 average daily listeners on Apple Music and 117,000+ weekly streams
• 35,000+ YouTube followers
• CCMA Discovery Award Winner, CCMA Rising Star Nominee, 3x CMAO nominee
• Eric and Kalsey just announced and embarked on their van-life content series, “Love On The Road” which will take them all across the country www.loveontheroad.ca 

River Town Saints

If tragedy and overcoming adversity are the hallmarks of a good country song, THE RIVER TOWN SAINTS have earned their dirt road credibility...

 

After a series of major setbacks (the kind that would've broken up many other bands), the boys have regrouped stronger than ever with a collection of FOUR fantastic new songs that have just been released via their new EP 'Long Time Coming' (which came out last Friday and has already been streamed/downloaded over 100,000 times in THREE days!).

 

There is a strong fan-base out there that want to hear this band's music.

Matt Martin

Matt Martin, a young tech entrepreneur raised on a dairy farm, continues to make exciting new waves in Canadian Country Music. Growing up in rural area, Matt feels a deep connection to Country Music and the roots that comprise what it is today. 

 

Back at it with his second radio single, country fans will not be disappointed. “Passenger Seat”, released now in the summer of 2020, gives listeners a fun and irresistible invite into one of Matt’s favourite youthful experiences; summer road trips. The song was co-written in Nashville with Chris Buck, produced by Canada’s own Jordan Oorebeek, and mastered in Nashville by Mike Cervantes (Taylor Swift, Jake Owen). It takes just a few seconds to know this tune is designed for volume up, windows down, and making summer memories. If you’re like Matt, you’ll also want it to be in a Jeep.

 

His second highly anticipated single, “Passenger Seat” follows on the coattails of Matt’s debut single, “Never Gets Old”, released in summer 2019 and earned many hundreds of spins. Impressively, it was picked up on the first day by Spotify Canada’s “Live Country” playlist where it held its place for a full calendar year – helping it amass 175,000 streams in its first year on Spotify alone. The song also cracked Top 40 on Sirius XM’s “CBC Country” channel, and was featured on notable primary stations such as Kitchener’s Country 106.7 and Orillia/Barrie’s Pure Country 106, where fans voted the single a new favourite for days in a row. Not a bad independent debut!

 

A new single is not all that country fans have to look forward to from Matt Martin this year. With multiple writing trips to Nashville since last summer, Matt has been honing his craft with many great writers both south of the border and here at home in Canada. With a newly inspired direction for his music, Matt is finishing up a 6 song EP to be released in the coming months. Fans can expect an honest look into the complex but growing phenomena of a life inspired by country roots but expanded through urban and global experiences that are becoming more common to many of us today. Expect to hear some of the current country vibes experienced through artists like Russell Dickerson and Jake Owen, mixed with some of Matt’s earlier storytelling influences, such as Dierks Bentley and Rascal Flatts. However you interpret it, there’s no doubt you will get a real glimpse into the fun, lightheartedness of Matt’s personality without neglecting the very real, intimate moments of his life and relationships. You don’t want to miss the ride, so “hop on up this passenger seat” and get ready for some great new music from one of our very own budding Canadian Country stars