FRESH FACE FRIDAY

 Our pick for “Fresh Face Friday” Feature, is Jessee Gardiner-RedneckRoughneck ! (aka “Redneck Roughneck”). Jessee was raised in Manitoba, Canada, did spend some time in Saskatchewan but currently resides in Duchess,  Alberta. 

Although his family moved around a lot, he still had  a wonderful childhood that was rich with different experiences, laying the foundation for many of his songs. His family means everything to him. He spent a lot of his time in his youth,  with his grandparents and with his siblings, roaming the valley, building forts, waking the river & fishing. Jessee is quite the adventure seeker ! That’s called  laying the groundwork for making a country artist ! His Grandmother, Eva played a major influence in Jessee’s musical life. His Grandmother would play her organ and they would sing together. We’re sure those must be memories that he will cherish always. Jessee’s first album that he bought was Shania Twain’s “The Woman In Me” and he grew up singing along to Garth Brooks.  His Grandparents introduced Jessee to the music of Jim Reeves, The Beach Boys, Abba & Johnny Cash.

Jessee’s took a roundabout route,  before pursuing music as a career. He played football at the University of Saskatchwan, while pursuing a Teaching Degree. Playing ball was definitely a dream come true for him ! In time,  Jessee found a career that suited his love of the outdoors and his drive for success, in the oilfields, where he gained his nickname “Redneck Roughneck”.  Things all changed when his son was born in 2013, and his primary focus in life, was to raise his son. So working away from his son, and home, wasn’t what he wanted anymore. He made a few decisions and we are glad he did, as he wouldn’t  be where he is today, making music! 

Music was always a deep passion of Jessee’s. It was always in the background. His taste in music is quite the broad spectrum mix , which is reflected in Jessee’s songwriting. Currently he listens to Luke Combs, Thomas Rhett, Chris Stapleton, Tim McGraw,  The Highway Women and Faith Hill. In 2017, he stepped out of his comfort zone and auditioned for The Voice in Austin, Texas. This was a life changing experience for Jessee. It was his first trip to the United States. Jessee said, “It was amazing to be surrounded by thousands of aspiring musicians. I found myself in a place I have always wanted to be but did not know how to get there. I was inspired by their talent and I was supported and encouraged for my music.” The country music family is just that, family! Always supportive ! Although he didn’t make the cut, the experience motivated him to continue forward and to chase his dream of making music for others. Talk about inspiring ! 

Jessee continues to work on his songwriting and he is doing some co-writes, with some amazingly  talented Canadian songwriters & artists you’ll likely recognize like - Aaron Allen & Jeff Dick, to name a few. He continues to work on music for his EP. He released a new song called “ What You Mean To Me” and it’s climbing the International Country Thunder 20, debuted at #7 - the first time on the chart ! Kudos to Jessee ! With his strong work ethic, and his talent, we believe this is just the beginning for him! We wish you all the best ! 

Our pick for “Fresh Face Friday” Feature this week, is Travis Cormier ! He’s new to us but definitely not new to the country music scene ! He is a singer/songwriter from New Brunswick originally. Cormier has been playing the guitar since the age of 9! He launched his first band in high school and was influenced by both Pop Rock and Country Music. Not only did his mother love Travis Tritt but she named Travis after him. We are pretty sure he was destined to be in country music. Even as a child, he knew that he wanted to be in music, and had started writing his own songs! After high school, Travis left Moncton at the age of 17, and flew to Los Angeles to study at the Musicians Institute on Hollywood Boulevard. Such a brave young man with a vision of what he wanted his future to include ! While he was studying Travis continued to work on his passion of both songwriting and performing. He regularly played in some of the most famous bars in L.A like The Whisky A Go Go and The Roxy. Those must have been quite the experiences! Four years ago Travis moved to Montreal to compete in the fourth season of La Voix (The Voice) and he blew everyone away with his version of Aerosmith's “Dream On”. The video has close to 1M views on Youtube. Of course all four coaches turned around! During his time on the show Travis was able to showcase his talents, so much so, that’s when the phenomenon ~“Travismania” began.

After the TV show finished,  Travis toured extensively throughout the province of Quebec, until he received the call of a lifetime. He was asked if he could open for Bon Jovi. “It was a dream come true. How many people can say they lived one of their biggest dreams as a kid” - said Cormier. Then another milestone in his career happened shortly thereafter when he when he was invited on stage at an Aerosmith show by none other than Steven Tyler to sing “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing”. Tyler had taken the time to watch Travis audition for La Voix and was blown away. Now you have to  admit, that’s pretty cool! 

Well over a year ago Travis met Canadian Icon ~ Bryan Adams. “Bryan said he was a fan and enjoyed my music… I had no words. He gave me some guidance and told me the most important thing in this business is to focus on my shows and always giving the audience my very best.” Such great words of wisdom ! After months of work in a studio in Vancouver (owned by Bryan Adams), Travis released his 1st album titled “Dollars and Hearts” with Universal Music, in November of that year. It was produced by Canadian Icon Bob Rock, who made his “vision come true of what he wanted for his first album”. That’s not always the case. Cormier also got to collaborate with Richie Sambora. Travis’ debut Single “Dollars and Hearts” was written by Mark Frederikson, Songwriter of mega hits by Aerosmith, Daughtry, Carrie Underwood, Faith Hill - to name a few. Dollars and Hearts - quickly debuted at Number 1 on the Canadian iTunes charts the first week-end of its release. That album went on to stream over 400,000 plus, on Spotify. Not to bad at all !

Travis was also invited by Canada’s Walk of Fame, to perform a tribute of Bryan Adams songs, at the  year’s 20th Anniversary Gala. It was his first actual appearance in Toronto! We are sure it won’t his last show in Toronto! You can find all of his music, from La Voix too, and self titled music, wherever you stream or buy your music! Check out his YouTube - there’s lots to see on there as well! Travis just released his new single, “She’s Gonna Be A Song “ - please be sure to check it out. We believe he’s talented and is going straight to the top ! 

Our pick for this week is Fresh Face Friday is Cambree Lovesy! Cambree Lovesy is a 21 year old country singer/songwriter from Abbotsford, B.C who has quickly earned a spot at the Canadian country music table for sure ! Having grown up listening to traditional country music, she has implemented her classic country roots into new country music. Her songwriting and artistry have been influenced by powerful women in country music such as Dolly Parton, Shania Twain, and Kacey Musgraves. 

Her debut album, "Kiss My Boots", combines old-school country with a modern appeal ! Her genuine, yet authentic songwriting, connects with her audience. With an impressive stage presence solo or with her band, Cambree puts on a show every single time she performs!

She has showcased her talent at the CN Grey Cup in Edmonton, The Local Nashville, Cook County Saloon, Rogers Arena, The Roxy, BC Place, Gabby's Country Cabaret, and many more venues across North America. She has opened for acts such as Dallas Smith and Chiliwack! This past summer, she was all set to open for Keith Urban but with all of the group restrictions, that went out the window! We hope she will get the opportunity to take him up on that another time! 

Her efforts towards empowerment and healing through her music and openness about her mental health journey, has gained the attention of the Woman of Worth Foundation who awarded Cambree with the "Young Sparkle 2019 Award".  She seeks to continue using her passion for storytelling, as a way to change the world with her music. She has written a song for all the Frontliners. It’s a great song - make sure you give it a listen. 

At the University of the Fraser Valley, she gives so much of her time to help, lead and mentor, as a Peer support for new students. Not an easy task but definitely a rewarding one!After spending some time recording and touring in Nashville, TN, Cambree's new single, "Runaway Queen" is available everywhere now. This song has already climbed to #8 on the Canadian Country Indie Countdown this week ! Congrats ! 

Cambree has been nominated for a 2020 Performing  Arts Award. Keep your fingers crossed! Cambree continues to perform regularly around British Columbia, alongside delivering weekly performances on Instagram and Facebook Live.  She is currently working on new music, coming to Canadian country radio soon. With her music career starting to take off, and her songwriting continuing to evolve, she really is a force to be reckoned with. We expect great things from this young lady!

 Our pick for “Fresh Face Friday” Feature is Chris Ryan! He is all the way from Newfoundland and his music is Country/Americana! 

Since the release of his self titled debut album, Chris Ryan has caught the attention of the Canadian music industry, playing showcases during East Coast Music Week and Music Newfoundland and Labrador Week, along with receiving nominations for "Country Recording of the Year" and "Songwriter of the Year". Chris' songwriting skills earned him the opportunity to be part of the 2016 ECMA SOCAN Song House, working with Nashville’s songwriting guru Ralph Murphy. Chris had the honour of touring with Canadian country artist Kelly Prescott from Canada to Tennessee and co-writing in Nashville. He was selected to participate in the 2019 edition of the Canadian Song Conference's "Canadian Songwriter Challenge", co-writing with artists from across Canada in Charlottetown, PEI. How cool is that! We’re sure that must have been a great learning experience as well ! 

He just released his new single "I Ain't Mad" on Sept. 18th and it’s on all streaming platforms.  The song was co-written & produced by Sound of Pop's Chris Kirby (same as the last two singles -  Last Forever and Slow Down). Chris did the radio premier with KIXX Country (Stingray) / VOCM in Newfoundland, on Thursday September 3rd and it debuted at #85 on the BDS Canadian Country chart and he received the "HeadStarter"designation on the TRAX Canadian Country chart for "Most First Week Spins". How exciting ! This song was also added to the CBC Country SiriusXM channel but it will actually start spinning at the end of September. 

Chris said  “When we were writing ‘I Ain’t Mad’, I wanted to channel a mid ‘90s country feel. I love the taste of Vince Gill and Dwight Yoakam, when guys expressed the vocals, and really played guitar! Myself and producer/co-writer Chris Kirby have had a great relationship for a number of years. I love the way we were able to mould a ‘90s country feel, but still have the song be very modern.” We feel he did just that ! 

Chris' single "Last Forever" peaked in the 70's on the BDS Canadian Country Music chart and his follow-up release "Slow Down" did even better, landing in the 60's on the BDS Canadian Country Music charts. Chris was an East semi-finalist in the 2018 SiriusXM - Canadian Country Music Association "Top of the Country" Project.

He also went on the road accompanying Sierra Noble for the Johnny Reid "My Kind of Christmas" tour across Canada in November and December 2019.  

An interesting twist, Chris got his gear stolen in late July and some people  thought that was the reason behind the title of his latest single but that’s not the case, somewhat ironic considering the circumstances for sure, but it was written well before the incident! You can find “I Ain’t Mad” on all media platforms ! 

He is currently writing songs for his next release in 2021. Which is exciting news ! We are located across the other side of Canada from Chris, but we’re sure proud he’s Canadian. We see big things for this young man ! Hopefully we will get to meet him soon ! 

Our pick this week for “FRESH FACE FRIDAY” Feature is Parker Graye! 

Originally from Orillia, Ontario, Parker is currently residing in Vancouver, BC. That hasn’t stopped her from writing several songs with other songwriters, producers across Canada and throughout the USA , including Nashville, to Los Angeles and St. Louis. She has even mixed genres to - from Pop to Country, including working with Jesse Denaro and Luke Healy(Lakeview), Kyle Rife (Spirit Music Group), Robyn Ottolini, Luca Fogale, Joanna Serenko (The Voice Season 18), Aaron Pollock Music and Jesse Slack, to name a few! All wonderfully talented individuals! Sometimes it’s been in person and sometimes over Skype/Zoom. How fortunate it is, now that technology can assist with this process, and you don’t need to leave your home ! 

Graye said “Previously, I was in pop music, both writing and as an artist but moved over to country, once I realized my small town roots and love for a good steel guitar, couldn't be buried any longer.” We are sure glad she did ! Parker creates songs full of emotion - evoking youthful summers, young romance and broken hearts.

Over the last few years,  she’s tested lyrics on her Instagram stories, piquing people's interest everywhere, on 1 liners or chorus ideas. So much so, that John Strandell, asked her to send over some of her lyrics and he instantly was attached to the "Do Over".  From there, they worked on the song tirelessly until they could meet in Nashville to cut the song.  Her voice has been compared to that of Maren Morris, and Maddie & Tae.  

“Songwriting has changed me in so many ways and I cannot see myself doing anything else (beyond being an artist).  Getting into a room, collaborating (sometimes complete strangers), sharing some of your most vulnerable experiences or thoughts and turning them into a song is one of the most rewarding things I've ever done” - said Graye ! 

This year she was selected as one of the Top 12 bands/artists in the BC Country Music Breakthrough Project and I showcased last week alongside Danielle Ryan and Syd Carter West. Congrats Parker ! It was an exceptional opportunity to introduce herself into the BC country music scene, with dropping a single in the near future. Parker has set short term goals and long term goals going into 2021. Some of these goals are reasonable and some are audacious goals as well, but we feel, that it’s all doable ! Thoughts become things!!Everything from securing placement on top  with Spotify, Apple, Amazon, Google Playlists to gaining  at least 2 spins on any Canadian / US radio stations, to securing a  management team and eventually signing a publishing and label deal! 

Parker’s latest release “Do Over”,  is officially available on all major streaming platforms.  We sure loved it when we heard it and we are pretty sure you will too! 

Our Pick for “FRESH FACE FRIDAY” Feature this week is Olivia Rose! She was born and raised in a small, Canadian farming town of Elk Point, Alberta. Having always been surrounded by country music, there was never a doubt in her mind that she would pursue her dream of music. Not only is she a talented singer, she is also an accomplished songwriter. She wrote her first song at the age of 9. With well over a decade plus years of hard work, has helped her grow into the well rounded artist she is today. 

Olivia Rose was a Project Wild Top 12 finalist and she learned so much through the journey the Project Wild program had to offer! Having already performed on some of Alberta’s finest stages, alongside big artists like Brett Kissel, Aaron Pritchett, Chad Brownlee Music, Charlie Major & more. She was the youngest to ever headline - K-Days North Stage. Such an amazing opportunity to perform a long side some of the biggest names in Canadian Country Music ! Her determination and talent will only continue to push her to grow for years to come. 

Olivia Rose has a lot of reasons to be proud, her singles, “Makeup to Mud,” “Please Maybe,” & “Hometown Sundowns” have won her many awards including~ Rising Star 2016 & 2017 at the Edmonton Music Awards, the 2016 Mayor’s Youth Award as well as multiple nominations, at the Alberta Music Awards. How exciting is that ! Her second single “Please Maybe” also gave her the title of Top 10 regionally,  in the CBC Song Quest. 

Recently Olivia had the honour of participating the “Diamonds in the Rough Showcase” on Thursday September 10, 2020. Which was pretty exciting ! Her latest release is titled “When You Put It Like That”! It really showcases her voice, and captures her unique sound. Her video, is a must see ! With Olivia releasing songs like this, we feel she’s got a wonderful future ahead of her !! 

Our pick this week for “FRESH FACE FRIDAY” is Bree Taylor !Her music career began at the age of six !! She performed in local choirs, and although she does not come from a musical family, she knew at an early age, that performing was the career path she was meant for. Bree has trained with the legendary vocal coach to the stars, Bob Garrett (Los Angeles), as well as, Lorraine Lawson in Toronto (vocal coach for CTV’s TV show “The Launch”). Pretty cool if you ask us!

She is one very talented young woman! Everything from having her own podcast, to online diy, to Canadian Country artist, and so much more !

Her first hit-single & video, “Broken Dreams” made its debut in September 2016, launching her songwriting and performing career. Her Pop EP “Unbreakable” was released in 2018. Bree’s inspired sound is a combination of pop and country and it has proven to be a perfect blend !

In 2019, Bree was nominated for "Best New Artist" for the Mississauga Music Awards. Which is quite an honour !

We met Bree a year ago and we soon realized, that she has a real zest for life and passion for music. She has a very unique and positive perspective, who likes to express her views that love is love, no matter what. Bree believes in equality for all people and is a huge supporter of the LGBTQ community. She said she “likes to write songs about resilience and strength and that no matter what life throws at us, we are stronger than we know and we can conquer anything!” We love that! She’s also supports causes, that are closest to her heart - including the “To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA), “ and the Canadian Mental Health Association. All worthy causes !

Bree recently performed at the first ever drive-in country music festival "Love Revolution Fest" on July 18th, along side other talented artists: Nicole Rayy, Suzi Kory, Mackenzie Leigh Meyer, Brian John Harwood from Kansas Stone, Alessia Cohle, to name a few. Truly an amazing experience for her!

If you don’t have any plans this weekend, Bree is participating in a similar drive-in type event, on Saturday August 29th called HarmoniaFest in Milton, Ontario ! All proceeds going to Halton Women’s Place - make sure you check it out ! Another worthy cause !

Bree has been making major strides in country music the past year since her debut single "Turn It Up" July 2019. Her releases “Cry” and “Drive”, garnered over 160k views on their music videos combined, in only a few weeks of their releases. “Cry” sits at over 60k organic streams on Spotify being Bree’s most successful release yet.

Outside of music, like we said earlier - Bree has also made a name for herself in the podcast world with her hit show “Unapologetically Bree” about music, dating, relationships, positive living and more, which has become increasingly popular and is another way for her to interact and engage with her fans!

Her latest song is called "Burning Bridges" but don’t let that title fool you ! She likes to put her own positive spin on it, when most people consider negative, her reasoning is “sometimes, we need to burn the bridges of the past, in order to move forward in a more positive way”- Bree said. She even wrote this song and included a few co-writers ! It’s fun, has an upbeat melody, that will have you singing along instantly! You wouldn’t be alone, Burning Bridges has been receiving massive fan engagement online and is now playing on CBC Country Sirius XM radio. Such great news for sure!

We are so proud of Bree, and everything she’s accomplished! With a career and brand built on authenticity, honesty and resilience, Bree’s creative ambitions have no limitations. No matter what life throws at her, Bree is and always will be a fighter and she will keep writing songs, keep singing and will remain truly unapologetically Bree!

 Our pick for “FRESH FACE FRIDAY ” Feature, is Burlington’s own, Josh Ross ! He’s been back and forth from Toronto area to Nashville, TN. The past few months he has been home, here in Canada.He can remember from a very young age, that he loved to sing, and music was always around, in the background. Josh played a lot of sports, and even played 4 years of University Football. After injuries sidelined him, he came back to his first love - music. We are so glad he did!!

Josh has spent many hours and time, honing his songwriting skills here at home and in Nashville. It can take a while to find other songwriters, that you feel a real connection with. He has said that “sometimes you just have to roll with it, when it comes to songwriting”. Everyone has their own way of writing, and there’s no right or wrong way to write a song. The hope is that when your song is done, that your fans connect and love it and we definitely do !

In 2017, Josh was a Finalist in the Boots & Hearts Music Festival ~ Chevy ~ Emerging Showcase. How cool is that ! He went on later that year, to win a showcase time slot at Lucknow's Music In The Fields - and won a Finalist slot in the Canadian Indie week. Performing on those high profile stages, alongside some even bigger names, helped to improve and build his performance skills and expand his fan base. Those experiences must have been very rewarding & we’re sure he learned a lot as well.

Some of his musical influences include and are not limited to, Steve Earle, Sam Hunt, Alan Jackson & Garth Brooks. In the past 8 months of 2020, he’s released a few singles, called “Born With A Boyfriend” (over 1 Million streams) & “Chevy” and his latest single, is called “Love Never Looked Like Us “ - over 100,000+ streams first two weeks !!!! So exciting for him !

With a voice like his, we feel there’s nothing he can’t achieve and we are certainly happy to go along for the ride! There are plenty of good things coming, including sharing with us, some new music, so we are looking forward to that ! While we wait, make sure to check out his current music and his website ! Check out his video below for “Chevy” ! And his new single “Love Never Looked Like Us”! 

 Our pick for “Fresh Face Friday” Feature is Ryan Anderson! He is currently located in Havelock, Ontario, but he has spent time in Campbellford as well. He’s a singer, songwriter and father. His family means the world to him. He said he has always loved country music and has enjoyed learning, and writing his own songs. He started singing at the young age of 6 !

His release “Forever More” made it onto the Country Thunder Network - Top 20 Charts in North America - arriving at #11. Ryan’s latest release called “Doing It” has climbed to # 16 on the Canadian Indie Country Countdown last week, and we feel it’s going to continue to climb, as it’s rather catchy !

Ryan has Five Nominations by Fair Play Country Music at the Red Carpet Awards, originally supposed to be held in Holland. The nominations include ~ Traditional Original, Country Rock Original, Modern Country Music Original, Musician of the Year, and Collaboration in Music. Congratulations and we have our fingers crossed ! Good Luck !

There are in the works some travel in his future to Australia and New Zealand - that’s pretty exciting !Ryan’s influences include Alan Jackson, Charlie Daniels, Bobby Wills and the Tragically Hip. His voice reminds us of Blake Shelton, as it has a classic country sound.

He has a new single coming out very soon, as part of a three song EPK (Electronic Press Kit). We have heard teasers already, so you will want to keep your eyes and ears, open for that !