For this week's 'CASUAL COVER MONDAY' we're showcasing one of the most promising artists in Canada's up-and-coming music scene. Justine Chantale has been described as the small-town girl with a big voice and an even bigger heart. After all, for this Stratford, Ontario chanteuse, music has been a driving force for as long as she can remember.
And while the would-be singer/songwriter had been unsure bout which direction her career might take, mom and dad had already set her on an epic path of inspiration, one paved with a mutual love of country music and classic rock.
"For me, writing and playing has always been a form of self-expression, but also a way to get my point across to people and to connect," she said. "Sometimes words don't always do the job — but music does. Getting up and performing is so therapeutic ... and if it can really touch people, that's why I do it."
Enjoy Justine's cover of 'Mayday' originally recorded by Cam! Have a great week everyone!
Our 'CASUAL COVER MONDAY' spotlight is brought to you from a duo you're about to hear a lot from! Five Roses came to be, thanks to a chance encounter at a barbershop where Jade worked as a hairstylist and Zach had an appointment. As he sat on her chair getting coiffed, the usual salon small talk soon became something promising when they discovered they shared a passion for country music. Zach acknowledged that he wanted to start a duo and after hearing Jade sing for the first time, he knew he’d found the voice he wanted to join forces with. It only took one jam session to know that there was instant chemistry that translated into a summer of songwriting and so began Five Roses.
Writing quickly turned into a string of performances and showcases in Canada, including Canadian Music Week. In 2018, the pair shared the stage with country artists such as Brett Kissel, Meghan Patrick and Dan Davidson. Five Roses was also invited to appear at the prestigious Songwriter Series for the 2018 Canadian Country Music Awards week alongside Canadian Country hitmakers The Reklaws and Aaron Goodvin. Their debut EP was released in August of that same year, inspired by acts such as Lady Antebellum and Little Big Town; their songs have no gained nearly 1 million combined digital streams. Five Roses is currently working on new material with producer Danick Dupelle (Emerson Drive, Tyler Joe Miller, Matt Lang).
Bringing a fresh, urban flair of country to the Canadian country music scene, Five Roses recently became the newest artists signed to MDM Recordings. Their debut single – “Might as Well Be Me” dropped on Friday, August 27th to digital streaming services and to Canadian country radio.
Enjoy a cover we found of them performing a 'country version' of The Backstreet Boys hit 'As Long As You Love Me' from a few years ago!
Check out and download their new single here! ~> https://fiveroses.lnk.to/MightAsWellBeMe...
Our 'CASUAL COVER MONDAY' artist is from the small town of Castlegar, British Columbia. Lisa Nicole grew up hunting, fishing, camping and embracing country music. As her childhood was sprinkled with the sounds of Shania Twain, Martina McBride, and the Dixie Chicks, Lisa Nicole discovered her own love of singing at the age of 8 and by 15, she was playing in Kootenay-area bars, which required her to be escorted on and off stage due to her age. After high school, she completed a Songwriting and Performance diploma with a Major in Vocals.
In 2013, Lisa Nicole made a strong entrance into the Canadian country music industry with her debut EP, It Got Ugly, and a showcase at the 2013 Canadian Country Music Awards. Industry recognition followed with 2014 BC Country Music Association Award nominations for the Ray McAuley Horizon Award and Music Video of the Year.
She's performed at SunFest, Rockin' River Music Fest, Calgary Stampede and won the 2015 BCCMA/Music BC Artist Development Project, which included a Nashville songwriting trip and placement in Canada’s Music Incubator 10-week Artist Entrepreneur Program.
Her 2016 EP release of 'Come Find Me', led to a coast-to-coast Canadian tour, three radio single releases, two more BC Country Music Association nominations, an impromptu on-stage performance with Keith Urban at a Nashville pop-up concert and back-to-back Canadian Music Week Showcases in 2017 and 2018.
Her latest single 'Gypsy Girl' which came out this month was written by herself, Phil Barton & Brian White and produced by Jeff Johnson and she just recently held a release party for her new EP 'Where Wild Hearts Beat'. Enjoy her cover from a few years back of Kelsea Ballerini's hit 'Peter Pan'. Have a great week!!
This week's 'CASUAL COVER MONDAY' is brought to you from 2018 Denim on the Diamond winner, 2019 BC Country Music Association nominee for the Ray Mcauley Horizon Award and singer-songwriter, Melissa Livingstone, who has a beautiful ability to uplift you while listening to her melodious and distinct voice.
Growing up in the small fishing town of Ucluelet, off the coastline of Vancouver Island, Melissa had high hopes of one day leaving her small-town roots and taking the country music industry by storm. With inspiration from artists such as Dolly Parton, Shania Twain, and Randy Travis, Melissa’s influences have crafted her music into being more traditional country, though she states now that her biggest influencers are Miranda Lambert, Cam, and Kelsea Ballerini.
Her latest single, “Gypsy Heart,” was released to all platforms in April 2021 and produced by Canadian Country Music Association and BCCMA Award-winning Producer, Jeff Johnson. Check out her cover of Miranda Lambert's hit single 'Bluebird'!!
Today's 'CASUAL COVER MONDAY' is from Andy Bast, a country singer and multi-instrumentalist from St-Antoine, New-Brunswick. At 25 years old, Andy already has an impressive resume of touring, either as a singer or as a freelance musician. Bast is known for adding his personal vocal acrobatics in his interpretations. From his biggest musical influence in Keith Urban, sounding similar to Rascal Flatts with a touch of Vince Gill, it only takes few notes and his genuine smile to get his crowd wrapped around his finger.
While other artists were forced to pause during the pandemic, Andy focused on writing new songs, especially with JASON BLAINE, and he kept practicing his musical skills. Many hours in his studio collaborating with artists and also recording a duet with French-Ontarian artist Reney Ray. As we are slowly starting to see an end to this pandemic, few shows are starting to be added to his calendar.
From New Brunswick to Alberta, he shared the stage as an opening act for Zac Brown Band at the Calgary Casino and the reputable Big Valley Jamboree in Camrose, Alberta. Familiar with the Cavendish Beach Music Festival in Prince Edward Island, Bast shared the stage alongside Dean Brody in the 2014 and 2015 editions.
As many artists from the East Coast, Bast learned to play the guitar, his first instrument, with his grandfather. Today he has mastered six instruments: guitar, mandolin, piano, drums, banjo, bass, and evidently the craft he puts in his vocal abilities.
We had our first opportunity to finally see Andy play live this past weekend as he was the runner-up in the Boots & Hearts Music Festival and we were seriously impressed!! Enjoy his Jason Blaine cover of 'Heartache Like Mine'...in the video he totally puts it together by himself by playing every instrument and sings the vocals and harmonies in it also! We wish him the very best of luck in his upcoming music career!
Happy Civic Holiday Monday everyone!! For this week's 'CASUAL COVER MONDAY' we were pleasantly surprised to come across a fantastic version of Aaron Pritchett & his son Jordan Pritchett and Jordan's fiancee Danielle Marie King from the Country Duo Cross Parallel covering the Rascal Flatts huge genre-crossing hit 'Life Is A Highway'!
Need a way to get revving this morning? Crank it up and let this talented family do the rest!!
P.S. It's Aaron's birthday today!!
For this week's 'CASUAL COVER MONDAY' we share an artist who's a triple threat: a singer, songwriter, and guitarist whose talent is over the top. Jessie T’s distinctive songwriting and soulful sound is undeniable. She released her debut FACTOR-funded album 'Reckless Heart' in 2016 to national acclaim. Sharing stages with some of Canada’s top musicians, she's sang with Dallas Smith for a duo performance of his hit song ‘One Drink Ago’. Jessie has also performed alongside some of the best in Canadian country music including Paul Brandt, Jess Moskaluke, James Barker Band, The Reklaws, Michelle Wright, The Western Swing Authority, and Beverley Mahood. Jessie continues to impress audiences with her engaging live performances. She's also sat in as a judge on the nationwide search for Canadian singer-songwriters talent show 'The Shot'!
Please have a listen to her beautiful cover of Keith Urban's single 'Tonight I Wanna Cry'. Have a great week!
This week's 'CASUAL COVER MONDAY' is from an artist from Burlington Ontario. Rob Fitzgerald is a Canadian Singer/Songwriter with a Country/ Americana flavor blending the musical roots from many styles and influences. For the second year in a row, Rob's newest releases found it's way through the judges of the 2019 International Songwriting Competition in the Americana and Country category where he earned a semi-finalist spot.
Continuing his forward momentum, as a member of the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) Rob recently had the opportunity to showcase his songwriting skills in Nashville, Tennessee at various songwriter round events and for the 2nd year, Rob showcased his music performing at the 2019 Indie Week music festival in Toronto.
In the past year Rob secured a Publishing with AMG Publishing in Toronto and with his first deal he was able to get his music into 750,000 restaurants and Bars throughout North America with TouchTunes Digital Jukebox service. In 2018, Rob also secured multiple sync licensing deals for TV with the Discovery Network, NASCAR Channel as well as many other networks and TV shows to further expose his music on an international level. His vast musical range and experience has made him an extremely proficient singer/songwriter with his own unique classic style that will leave you wanting more.
Please take a moment to have a listen to Rob's cover of the iconic hit 'Lean On Me' from Bill Withers & check out his socials and shoot him a follow!!
~>https://www.facebook.com/rafitzgerald
~>https://www.instagram.com/robfitzgeraldmusic/
This week's 'CASUAL COVER MONDAY' is brought to you from a group predominantly from the Ottawa, Ontario area. Brothers Jeff & Cory Papineau live by the saying 'when life hands you lemons, make lemonade.' So much so, that they named their band Lemon Cash.
Lemon Cash started out as a cover band, forming an alternative rock band with some local friends from their hometown. The band had success playing lots of gigs, receiving radio traction, and formed quite a substantial following for only a couple of years of playing together. After 3 years of playing as a five-piece band, the members of Lemon Cash decided to end their days as a rock band and start over as a country band. The inspiration to switch to the country genre came from their parents who introduced Jeff and Cory to country music at a very young age.
'Wine Tonight' is the first single from the forthcoming album. Written by Jeff and Cory and Jeff Diesel (who also produced the single), is an upbeat, hook-driven song, sure to have you singing along, and craving a cold margarita on a tropical beach.
One of the shows you can catch them at this summer is Crooks Rapids Country Fest on September 4th in Hastings, Ontario alongside the River Town Saints, David Boyd Janes, Big City Lights, Leah Daniels, Shawn Austin, JoJo Mason & The Road Hammers! Get your tickets NOW! https://www.crooksrapidscountryfest.com/tickets
We can't think of a better way to start your week off than with their cover of Chris Stapleton's smash hit 'TENNESSEE WHISKEY'!
C To C Canadian Country Music Insider
Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada