Emma Louise Hewson Q&A

Your name: 

Emma Louise Hewson.

Where are you from? 

I was raised in Guelph ON, but have been living in Toronto for the past six years.

Who else is in your band? 

I'm a solo act, but I'm occasionally joined by Raphael Roter. He recorded the percussion on my first EP, just released in June.

How would you describe yourself?

I'm a Toronto-based singer/pianist/songwriter, with a strong passion to express myself fully. What that means, is that even though most of my music is R&B/pop, I like to improvise a lot and be creative with my music and stage performances. I'm really interested in performing as an authentic artist, who is continually evolving and expressing herself. 

Who are your main influences musically?

I studied classical piano for years, listening to Bach, Debussy, Chopin etc.. but I always had an ear out for pop/r&b. My first album, given to me by my father when I was around six years old, was of Mariah Carey. Presently, I'm most inspired by the careers of Rihanna and Kimbra, and I'm very heavily influenced by the local Toronto music scene.

What do you hope to achieve in music?

I really hope to achieve a career where I feel totally able to express myself and my ideas with ease. I'm personally inspired by musicians who stand by their causes, stand by their desires, and express everything fully through their art. That's real, and that makes me feel alive. I would love to be proof that you can be fully expressed and live life as a strong person mentally, emotionally, physically and creatively.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

Recording and releasing my album for sure. Hands down it's my proudest musical achievement because I never quit and I went for it even when I had no idea how I was going to do it! Getting my degree in music from York University last year was also a high point.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

All of the crazy/crying/run-out-of-the-room-I'm-so-scared performance anxiety I had during my classical training and university performances. haha.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?

The Best is the single off of the new EP, and I picked it for many reasons. I wrote it in high school, so it represents that teenage part of me who at the same time really believed in myself and also really doubted my ability. It's kind of the champion of my high school self. Like, see? We made it. 

Where can we listen to it?

http://emmalouisehewson.bandcamp.com/album/emma

Where can we find out more about your music?

https://www.facebook.com/emma.louise.hewson

https://www.youtube.com/user/emmahewson/videos

WHOOP-Szo's music from the Canadian Arctic

WHOOP-Szo have released their double album Qallunaat/Odemin - recorded in the Canadian Arctic.

Here at RealSoundsOK we love music made with a story, so we'll let those who made it tell it.

"It's a project that initially started while the members of WHOOP-Szo were running a screen-printing program for Inuit youth. Every record has it's own set of challenges, but this location definitely created a different set of obstacles. 

"When it’s -50 you can’t just go outside to take a break. You can’t run to the nearest music store if your patch chord stops working. Even the swapping of music files can be tedious when an internet connection barely exists. 

"The conditions created a record full of rabbit holes, blasts of noise, and weirdly infectious melodies. The record's strange origins make Qallunaat and Odemin completely unique pieces of music - an album that sounds intermittently like cabin fever."

WHOOP-Szo - who hail from Guelph, Ontario, and Salluit, Quebec - describe the sound as shoegaze plus ambient plus rock n roll all in the same song.

You can have a listen below and download the albums at thenoisymountain.bandcamp.com

For more information on the band visit facebook.com/WHOOPszo or twitter.com/WHOOPszo

Overnight Collides Q&A

Your names: 
Melissa and Andrew.

Where are you from? 
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, although Melissa is originally from Guelph.

Name of band: 
Overnight Collides.

Who is in your band? 
Scott and Anthony.

How would you describe yourselves? 
Melissa: Unforgettable, unique, inspiring.
Andrew: Fun, serious, inspired, motivated, relaxed people.

Who are your main influences musically? 
Melissa: My Chemical Romance.
Andrew: Protest the Hero.

What do you hope to achieve in music? 
Melissa: To show our fans that anything is possible. 
Andrew: I want to create unique and original music for myself and show people who we are by making music they can relate to.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why? 
Melissa: The amazing compliments we receive about our music - that we are doing something a bit different than the norm these days.
Andrew: Well we caught the attention of a producer from LA, which is great!

And what’s the moment you want to forget? 
Melissa: There are many, haha. But, it's what I learn from those moments that I would never want to forget.
Andrew: I don't regret anything. I always say "It was a great idea at the time" haha

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why? 
Melissa: That's difficult! Each song has its own unique flavour and inspiration from many types of genres. I’d like to think that our songs represent our many different tastes in music - an eclectic sound than anyone can enjoy.
Andrew: All of them cause they represent what we like and it's not just one genre, but many.

Where can we listen to it? 
www.reverbnation.com/overnightcollides

Sell your beats online at ReverbNation.com

Where can we find out more about your music?
www.twitter.com/overnitecollide
www.facebook.com/overnightcollides
www.soundcloud.com/overnight-collides
www.instagram.com/overnight_collides

Anything else you’d like to say about your band/music that I forgot to ask?
Melissa: We are working on our upcoming debut EP release, which will be out in the new year. It's very exciting for us. We hope our fans will enjoy just as much as we have enjoyed making it.
Andrew: Hopefully we can make you a fan and we'll continue to make music that you might like.

The Medicine Hat's sound of love

MUSIC and love have long gone hand in hand and that's certainly the case for Ontario outfit The Medicine Hat's debut record Old Bones.

Band member Nabi Bersche told RealSoundsOK: "The Medicine Hat is the sound of falling in love: magical, uncompromising, and a bit ridiculous.

"Our first record documents the early days of Tyler and I falling in love. This June we released Old Bones to coincide with our wedding. It was a romantic ideal, but not really a practical one. When you’ve got a wedding, an album is doubtful to take precedent."

The couple are joined in the band by Aaron Hoffman, Elliott Gwynne and Michael Boyd, and to celebrate the record they have made its title track and a second single, Spits Out The Light, free to download until Christmas.

To check the tracks visit www.themedicinehat.com