SHOW CASE
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By Andrew King
SARAH MAY
What : Alt-Pop Where : Vancouver , BC Visit : www . sarahmaymusic . com
After being swallowed whole by Sarah May ’ s stirring and spellbinding brand of alternative pop , you might be surprised to discover that her first formal release dropped at the beginning of this year . The single was “ 2 Minutes ,” described as “ a musical interpretation of the end of the world .” Subsequent months saw the release of follow-up tracks “ It Feels Real ,” “ Universal ,” “ Before I Go ,” and most recently , “ A Song of Somebody ,” which dropped on Gateway Records ’ Pop Right Now compilation .
The product of nearly three years of work , that collection features collabs with producers like Wildxyouths and Tundra Beats . Thematically , her exploration of alternate realities and the complexities of human behaviour are a perfect complement to the engaging and engulfing atmospheric pop she seems to have mastered out of the gate .
Sarah May is currently at work on her first full-length album , set to drop via Scottish label Last Night . Assuming it builds on the foundation of her first handful of tracks , fans of boundary-pushing alt-pop should start getting excited .
Based solely on his pedigree , you could ’ ve bet that Tommy Grasley , the man behind the TOMMYGUNN moniker , would ’ ve ended up in the music business . His father is famed blues saxophonist Sonny Del-Rio , and his mother is a cousin of none other than Rod Stewart . And that ’ s not where the high-profile name-dropping ends …
Grasley ’ s latest collection is called I Believe in Love , a concept album that thematically transitions from “ hate ” to “ love ” over the course of 11 tracks covering several styles . Largely , it ’ s anchored in high-octane rock that borrows bits from the masters of the last several decades – and some genre heavyweights actually have credits on the album . Those include iconic producer / engineer Eddie Kramer ( Jimi Hendrix , Led Zeppelin ), Goddo frontman Greg Godovitz , Blue Rodeo veteran Kim DesChamps , ex-Headstones drummer Dale Harrison , and esteemed cellist Kevin Fox . Dragons ’ Den star and El Mocambo owner Michael Wekerle even adds a few harmonica licks to the effort , which is worth a listen if you ’ re craving some impactful sounds that span pretty much the entire spectrum of hard-hitting rock and roll .
TOMMYGUNN
What : Rock & Roll Where : Toronto , ON Visit : www . tommygrasley . com
SUZI SILVA
What : Jazz Where : Saint-Lambert , QC Visit : www . suzi-silva . com
Having made her debut as a performing vocalist in Montreal before hitting her teens , Suzi Silva returned to Portugal at the age of 12 and immersed herself in a wide array of genres . She studied classical singing at the Coimbra Music Conservatory before devoting herself to jazz and adjacent styles including bossa nova and fado at Sítio de Sons Music School in Coimbra and Jobra ’ s Music Conservatory in Albergariaa-Velha . She returned to Montreal in 2013 and was admitted into the jazz interpretation program at the University of Montreal the following year .
She ’ s since graced stages at some of Quebec ’ s bestknown jazz clubs and festivals , sharing her unique blend of jazz , bossa-nova , French music , and Portuguese fado to a growing number of fans .
Her latest project , Fad ’ AZZ , seamlessly fuses jazz and fado and won a prize at the 2018 International Portuguese Music Awards . As for a more recent taste of her work , check out a beautifully-recorded live set that premiered on the gifted singer and composer ’ s Facebook page in early October .
78 CANADIAN MUSICIAN