Bands

KCLR kicked off 2018 by releasing a re-imagined version of Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are a-Changin’.” For the band, it was a tribute to a legendary songwriter and a reaction to a difficult year across the globe. For fans, it was an opportunity to finally meet KCLR’s newest band members. All the pieces are now in place: the next year is going to be huge. The band’s eighth full-length record is slated for recording in fall/winter. KCLR will tour Europe for the first time in 2019.
All this momentum has built from years of recording and touring, with support from some of Canada’s most dedicated fans.
On August 17th, 2015, KC Roberts & the Live Revolution (KCLR) touched down at the airport in Toronto to close out KCLR Go West, the band’s first ever tour of the Canadian and U.S. west coast. KCLR hit 15 cities in 20 days, playing packed rooms from Edmonton to Los Angeles. KCLR’s fans stepped up to the plate in a huge way to make KCLR Go West a reality.
Over a six week span, 230 KCLR fans contributed over $37,000 in crowdfunding by pre-ordering two new albums: From the North Part 1 & 2.
This was not the first time that KCLR has had a major crowdfunding success. KCLR’s 2013 album Parkdale Funk 2: SIDES (PDF2) was made possible by $26,000 in contributions from the band’s fans. The album’s 27 tracks highlight all of KCLR’s influences, and left an immediate impression on fans and media alike. CBC Radio’s Errol Nazareth said of PDF2 that “I dug every track!”
Exclaim! Magazine praised PDF2’s “infectious, rhythmically virtuosic brand of funk [and] seamless detours into hip-hop, rock, drum & bass, reggae, Afro-beat and folk.”

KEEMOSABE is a Rock/Funk/ Pop/Experimental project, born between Milan and New York, but developed in London during 2017.

In the UK, the band takes part in dozens of concerts and festivals in historical venues around London, developing their own artistic identity.
In terms of notable performances throughout 2017, it is worth mentioning the opening act for Kristeen Young (David Bowie, Morrissey), a sold out show at "The Islington" and a special live performance in the legendary Studio One of Abbey Road Studios.
At Abbey Road, the band has recorded three singles in the summer of 2017, thanks to a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter that turned out to be successful after a record time of only 16 days.

The project is deliberately born as a mixture of musical styles: Alberto Curtis (vocals, guitar) and Sebastiano Vecchio (drums) studied and worked as Jazz/Fusion musicians in New York City from 2013 to 2016. Andrea Guarinoni (keyboards) worked as a Soundtrack and Hip-Hop producer, while Pino Muscatelli (bass) used to be a busy musician in the Italian Stoner Rock scene.
What results is a hybridization of musical influences, accompanied by energetic grooves, powerful riffs and pop melodies on top.
The sound is comparable to a musical meeting between Foals, Snarky Puppy, John Mayer and Pearl Jam.

The band also wants to convey a social message that stimulates the listener along a path that crosses the inner universe of the human individual, and the growth that leads to a greater awareness of himself and of the surrounding nature.
Despite the amount of influences and musical depth, KEEMOSABE is intended to be a young (average age 23), fresh and above all ACCESSIBLE product to different types of listeners.

The band already published a first single, All is One, and is going to publish the other two during the next months.
The plan of the band for 2018 is clear and defined: grow their fanbase as much as possible, through the promotion of the three singles already mentioned, and with an intense live activity starting from the autumn of this year. In the meantime, during the summer the band will dedicate itself to the recording of the first album, that will be promoted through a summer tour in 2019.

Ken Stead already has a firm foothold in the Canadian roots community, having graced the grassy stages and sessions of Edmonton Folk Fest, Canmore Folk Fest, and North Country Fair, as well as rowdier venues like Main Stage Big Valley Jamboree, the Calgary Stampede Coke Stage and Wild Mountain Festival. Whether playing solo, or with his 5 piece band, Ken Stead makes every room feel like home. A generous demeanor, a delicate wit, and an empathetic understanding of audiences of all shapes, his performances are as true and honest as the songs themselves.

Ken is known for silencing a room to a whisper, but with his new release, Civil War, he proves capable of starting an uproar. With more volume, comes more space to make heartfelt moments rattle through your chest. Guitars, bass and drums punctuate charged lyricism and lived experience. It’s full and dynamic roots rock, with an emphasis on connecting with an audience, born from Stead’s keen musical interest in both folk and hip hop.

Produced by Winston Hauschild (Hannah Georgas, Hey Ocean), and mixed by Canadian legend Howie Beck (Barenaked Ladies, Feist, Walk Off The Earth), Civil War is an earnest portrait of the domestic, the conflicts present in the everyday, and how one’s struggle with themselves and their own faults bleed into their relationships with others, how that mirrors the larger political climate. Throughout the record, Stead grapples with his firm belief that peace begins with the individual. “Trouble” is a song that combines roots rock with 80’s synth danceability. With the grit and strength in Ken’s voice, he captures the moment you realize you’re in some sort of trouble, but knowing that trouble is exactly what you’re looking for. Tracks like “I’m Done Trying” are strong and self-critical, pining to understand the other with empathy and the earned conviction of its power-chords. “Why You Afraid Of The Dark” is a roots/soul song tackling the fear of facing the hard times with soulful piano, groovy rhythms, and a hook that will having you singing along.

Civil War is about bridging binaries and breaking barriers, both political and emotional, race and gender, husband and wife. Big and beautiful music that doesn’t need to polarize to speak strongly and directly. The new sound that Ken has brought to the album will be sure break into new markets for him and bring him to stages across the world.

KENTA HAYASHI - a.k.a. 444Hz Loop Pedal Ninja -

444Hz stemming, Japanse singer-songwriter en loop-pedaal-ninja KENTA HAYASHI brengt de term 'one man band' naar het volgende niveau. Hij maskt een orkest van geluid door gelaagdheid in zang, percussie, gitaar en effecten. Het resultaat is een mix van psychedelische soundscapes, geinspireerd door de reizen van Kenta, en een ondertoon van harmonieën op een ritmische basis - alles live gespeeld door Kenta door het gebruik van zijn loop-pedaal."

Kenta's liveshow staat vol van spektakel, opbouw van epische spanning en juist weer release. Grote gelaagde build ups en trance-achtige grooves.

KENTA HAYASHI zit middenin zijn wereldtournee met vele shows en festivals het afgelopen jaar. (meer dan 200 shows binnen een jaar, in 27 landen tot nu toe in 2017 Europa, Verenigd Koninkrijk, Australië, Azië, Amerika, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala)
Kenta produceert ook elektronische muziek waarbij hij gebruik maakt van opgenomen geluiden uit alle werelddelen die hij op zijn reis tegenkwam: verschillende talen, natuurgeluiden, en straatgeluiden. Hij combineert de krachtige energie van zijn live optreden met de eindeloze sonische mogelijkheden van elektronische productie.