MUSIC PREVIEW: Major crush on Major Love
Major Love is being touted as this city’s new supergroup – and there’s more than a little truth to that statement.
Led by the extraordinary musical wizardry of Colleen Brown, who’s released some stellar solo material herself, when a chance meeting with the braintrust of Scenic Route To Alaska in England led to a group recording session with none other than Jesse Northey (of Jesse And the Dandelions) chipping in on the keyboard as well.
Everything Brown touches is spectacular, with amazing musicianship, and songwriting, and let’s face it, she has one of the best voices in the city. One of the songs on the album – Motherland, a “love-letter to Alberta” – won a 2015 songwriting competition and earned Brown a cool $10,000; and another, I Love All Of You, was a finalist in the Unsigned Only International Songwriting Competition back in 2017. Two more, Tear It Down and So Good, are getting solid airplay on CBC Radio 2.
So yes, expectations are very high for this project, but it’s also a pretty sure bet that it’s a bet that’ll pay off, a number of times over. Major Love is celebrating their eponymous release this Thursday evening at the Aviary – so make sure to get down there and check them out, or at the very least, make sure at some point this weekend to gather around your phone or computer and check out the new album, if you haven’t already. You’re sure to be impressed with this cavalcade of local music luminaries.
Tickets to the 7:30 pm show are $13. (BUY)
Thursday 11
Jessie Reyez – This Canadian singer-songwriter has yet to release a full-length album, but her folk-pop sound on a pair of EPs has earned her a lot of praise and popularity across North America, including her big radio hit, Figures. She won the Breakthrough Artist award at the 2018 Juno Awards, already has a Polaris Prize Long List nomination to her name, and has been a featured artist on singles by London Future, Calvin Harris, and Eminem. Starlite Room, 8 pm, $25. BUY
Friday 12
Red Dirt Skinners – This duo, consisting of couple Rob and Sarah Skinner, hail from England, but now make their home in Ontario. The pair is touring to celebrate their most recent release, Under Utopian Skies, which perfectly captures their eclectic sound that blends folk, rock, country, and jazz into a fresh, but comforting, homage to all manner of musical legends. The show is part of New Moon Folk Club’s season. St. Basil’s, 7:30 pm, $22. BUY
Wolf Parade – This indie band out of Montreal had a number of singles receive considerable radio play in their first incarnation, including Shine A Light and I’ll Believe In Anything. After releasing a trio of full-lengths, the band went on a five-year hiatus and then reassembled in 2016, releasing their most recent album, Cry Cry Cry, in late 2017. The band forms a veritable who’s who of the indie rock world, with various members being part of or recording with Hot Hot Heat, Arcade Fire, Divine Fits, and Frog Eyes, among others. Starlite Room, 8 pm, $25. BUY
Gyptian – Musician Windel Edwards is a native Jamaican, born in Kingston, and unsurprisingly, found himself participating in the reggae scene. More specifically, roots reggae, which focuses on the spiritualism of Rastafari, and the rural poor. Gyptian has four albums to his credit, the most recent of which was released in 2013. His latest album, Nothing To Lose, which even spawned a single – All On Me – was supposed to come out in 2015, but never was released. Union Hall, 9 pm, $30 and up. BUY
