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Jaimie Vernon has been the President of Bullseye Records of Canada since 1985. He wrote the original online version of the Canadian Pop Music Encyclopedia in 1998. He also wrote the book version of the Encyclopedia which was first printed as a two volume paperback in 2012.

GWNtertainment MAGAZINE BLOG #53

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Well, here we are dear readers – our last blog of the year. We want to thank you for following along all year and sending us your suggestions for new artists and new music. To that end, we won’t waste this one on a year end round-up because there’s still more music to shout about leading into Christmas. We’ll be back January 9th with an overview of 2022 in Canadian music and most certainly have to some early bird 2023 releases to pass your way. Have a safe and memorable holiday season and be sure to check out this week’s Spotify playlist featuring all the artists mentioned here. [just click on the icon below]


Lemmon Entertainment is releasing the Lemmon Holiday Mixtape – available now – featuring a wide variety of Canadian artists spreading Holiday cheer for an excellent cause. 100 percent of the mixtape’s proceeds will go to the MusiCounts Band Aid program. Available from Dec. 9 through Dec. 30, the mixtape features Jessica Moskaluke, Bif Naked, Josh Bogert, Olivia Penalva, Andrew Allen, Maggie Szabo, Jim Bryson, Pavlo, Zach Oliver, Ellen Doty, Chris Hadfield, Cassie Dasilva, The O’Pears, Helix, Chris McKhool (Sultans of String), Myles Goodwyn (April Wine) and more. The compilation will be available for purchase on S!NG for $9.99 CDN.

On December 2nd The James Clark Institute began recording the follow-up to 2021’s The Colour of Happy album at Union Sound Company with producer Moe Berg and engineer Darren McGill.


Canadian blues master (BIG) DAVE MCLEAN was awarded the Order of Canada on December 14. McLean has been cited as an influence on both Colin James and members of Wide Mouth Mason. He is seen here in a ceremony with Governor-General Mary Simon.

BENJAMIN RUSSELL and ROB STUART‘s debut album is complete and in the pipeline to drop on January 18. Something In F Minor is now available for pre-sale here. 

Canada has lost another phenomenal musician. Vancouver musician Andre Kunkel passed this week. No cause was announced. Kunkel had been most recently playing in the band Dr. Strangelove, but he found fame briefly in the 1980s in the Virgin Records signed act AGENT.


David Wilcox, Murray McLauchlan, Shirley Eikhard – 2009 – photo: John Fraser (c) GWN.
Canadians were saddened to hear the news this week that folk artist and hit songwriter Shirley Eikhard had passed after complications from cancer. She was 67 years old. Those unfamiliar with Shirley – who friends have called shy but always gracious – she is best known for having written the hit “Something To Talk About” which was covered by Bonnie Raitt. Among Shirley’s other accomplishments was her own hit version of Fleetwood Mac’s “Say You Love Me.” Shirley is survived by her likewise legendary mother, The Queen of the Fiddle, June Eikhard who recently turned 90.

We were also saddened to learn that founding member of OCEAN, Greg Brown, had passed away unexpectedly. The band is best known for the million selling Canadian hit “Put Your Hand In The Hand” written by the late Gene MacLellan. GWN offers its deepest condolences to family, friends, and fellow musicians.


As mentioned in Issue #52, LEE AARON has released her new album Elevate. It’s available on CD, streaming, and coloured vinyl here.

Canadian band TORONTO got an unusual pop culture shout out this week during Episode 4 of Canada’s Drag Race Vs. The World when Victoria Scone had a rematch against Silky Nutmeg Ganache in a lip-sync battle to Toronto’s “Your Daddy Don’t Know.”
Check out the highlights here:


For those interested in music theory and the minutiae of music production check out Atlanta-based Rick Beato’s YouTube channel where this week he did a casual one hour interview with Canadian producer DAVID BENDETH. Bendeth started as a jazz/fusion musician and later worked for CBS Records Canada where he oversaw the success of both Platinum Blonde and Gowan before moving to RCA Records in the USA – and was responsible for the creation of the #1 hit compilation ELV1S 30 #1 HITS and its #1 single “A Little Less Conversation” (which Bendeth remixed with Junkie XL).


TERRY DRAPER‘s new album Bread And Cirkus is finally available. The album is dedicated to the late graphic designer Ted Jones – whose artwork graced the covers of Terry’s old band KLAATU and Terry’s other solo works. The album even features a song about him called “The Tale Of Ted” featuring Jaimie Vernon on backing vocals.



Speaking of JAIMIE VERNON, he has a brand new Christmas track available on YouTube. Check out “The Angels Sing Merry Christmas.” The song was written 42 years ago, and will be included in his upcoming anthology project No Time Like The Past in 2023.



The first single from the new CONEY HATCH album Postcard From Germany is out now entitled “Devil’s Deck – Live!” The full album will be released in early 2023.


VILIVANT (aka Julia Gentile) has released her follow up to the “Running On Empty” single entitled “Drown.”



Songstress TONIA CIANCIULLI looks back on her Grandparents’ loss of a child on the new single “Churchyard Roses.” The song is inspired by Tonia’s own personal family tragedy– In 1935, her grandparents Chesley and Elsie Dyke lost their four-year-old son Edward when he drowned in their Newfoundland ocean backyard.



Like it did for so many others, the pandemic allowed for a time of deep reflection, and Toronto-based veteran pop-fusion artist LESLIE TAYLOR combines memories of a brutal past with the sweetness of being 16 and awakening to one’s sexuality in her new single “Look But Don’t Touch.”


THE MAPLE BLUES BAND has released their unique reworking of the Elvis Presley Christmas classic “Blue Christmas” featuring Kenny Brown.



2022 Humanitarian Award recipient SUSAN AGLUKARK has released the “Tikitaummata” single from her most recent release The Crossing album.


Singer-songwriter SARAH SMITH recently relocated from Ontario to British Columbia and has finally released brand new music with the single “Beautiful Mess.”


Toronto’s SAM CASEY‘s new single “Good Fight” was written to punch through self-doubt and industry toxicity.



Brantford/Toronto, Ontario artist JAYLEN BRADLEY has captured the acute pain of being burned twice in love with the introspective track called “Games.”



RUSH continues to be embraced by artists the world over. Check out this version of Rush’s “Tom Sawyer” as performed by Erie, Pennsylvania’s First To Eleven.


Our favourite song interpreter, REID JAMIESON, is back with a wintery album called Songs For a Winter’s Night where he tackles cold and wintery tracks from the likes of Nick Lowe, Steve Miller (a spectacular version of “Winter Time”), Gene MacLellan, Gordon Lightfoot, Willie Nelson, and Bruce Cockburn’s “Coldest Night of The Year.” There’s some fine original tunes as well.

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Send us your news, views, and all manner of CANADIAN musical releases to promote and wave a flag for. Join the GWN Facebook page and drop us a message: https://www.facebook.com/gwntertainment

Keep up the fight!
Jaimie Vernon, 2022

=JV=

Jaimie “Captain CanCon” Vernon has been president of the on again/off-again Bullseye Records of Canada since 1985. He wrote and published Great White Noise magazine in the ‘90s, has been a musician for 44 years, and recently discovered he’s been happily married for 26 of those. He is also the author of The Canadian Pop Music Encyclopedia and editor of “Sunny Days: The Skip Prokop Story.” Available through Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Jaimie+Vernon