July 12, 2019 Birds Hill Provincial Park – Main Stage Mdou Moctar and Roman Clarke. Photos by Samuel Stevens Photography. The Devil Makes Three and Christine Fellows. Photos by Samuel Stevens Photography. Mt. Joy and Samantha Crain. Photos by Samuel Stevens Photography. Jason Mraz and William Crighton. Photos by Samuel Stevens Photography. K'naan. Photos by Samuel Stevens Photography.

July 13, 2019 Birds Hill Provincial Park – Green Ash Stage Photos by Samuel Stevens Photography.

July 7, 2019 Club Regent Event Centre Photos by Samuel Stevens Photography.

July 4, 2019 Burton Cummings Theatre Dave Hause + The Mermaid. Photos by Samuel Stevens Photography. Bad Religion. Photos by Samuel Stevens Photography.

June 30, 2019 The Royal Albert Knathan. Photos by Samuel Stevens Photography. trrm. Photos by Samuel Stevens Photography. HAVS. Photos by Samuel Stevens Photography. drinkbleachh. Photos by Samuel Stevens Photography. Lil Bo Weep. Photos by Samuel Stevens Photography.

The third annual Northern Touch Music Festival took place this year on June 29th, 30th, and July 1st, 2019 at three different venues and featured nearly one hundred artists. The Cube Stage in Old Market Square acted as the festival’s main stage while each night’s after-parties took place at Footw3rk Dance Club and the recently reopened, Royal Albert Arms. Just as in the past, this year saw artists featured from Manitoba, across Canada, and of course, around the globe. This year's headliners included Lil Bo Weep, Rel McCoy, Boog Brown, Jaye Newton, Witch Project, and Shah. June 29th – Day 1: June 30th – Day 2: July 1st – Day 3: All photos by Samuel Stevens Photography.

June 22, 2019 The Cube in Old Market Square Photos by Samuel Stevens Photography.

June 22, 2019 The Cube in Old Market Square Photos by Samuel Stevens Photography.

June 22, 2019 The Garrick Olivia Lunny. Photos by Samuel Stevens Photography. Elijah Woods x Jamie Fine. Photos by Samuel Stevens Photography.

June 23, 2019 Burton Cummings Theatre Leaf Rapids. Photos by Samuel Stevens Photography. Bobby McFerrin. Photos by Samuel Stevens Photography.

An entire photo collection of who we covered at the 30th annual edition of the festival. June 20, 2019, to June 23, 2019. The Cube, The Garrick, Burton Cummings Theatre Photos by Samuel Stevens Photography.

As part of the Winnipeg Jazz Festival June 20, 2019 The Cube in Old Market Square Photos by Samuel Stevens Photography.

June 20, 2019 The Cube in Old Market Square Photos by Samuel Stevens Photography.

June 18, 2019 Bell MTS Place Glass Tiger. Photos by Samuel Stevens Photography. Corey Hart. Photos by Samuel Stevens Photography.

June 16, 2019 Red River Ex - Main Stage Amadians. Photos by Samuel Stevens Photography. Bif Naked. Photos by Samuel Stevens Photography.

Three-time Grammy Award-nominated British folk recording artist James Bay first blew onto the music industry in 2014 with his massively successful singles, "Let It Go" and "Hold Back the River." Forcing all eyes into his direction. A year later, Bay dropped his now platinum-certified debut album, Chaos And The Calm (2015), which included the two tunes. The record garnered Bay three Grammy nominations. Following his debut album, he released another hit record, Electric Light (2018), and shortly after, he followed it up with a stripped-down four-track EP titled, Oh My Messy Mind EP (2019). Photo courtesy of UMG. Now, James is back with his surefire next hit record, Leap , just over a month ago -on July 8, 2022, to be exact- and was released through Mercury Records and Republic Records. James is currently on the road in North America, performing and promoting Leap . James Bay's new album Leap took large inspiration from the John Burroughs quote, "Leap and the net will appear." Ultimately, the quote shaped the album's songwriting and led James to give the album the title, Leap . "It sort of inspired the turning point in the writing," says James. "I was using music as a kind of therapy, as I always do. These songs are anthems of hope. You have to reach fucking high. You have to leap and not worry about if there's a net that's going to catch you, it's just about the reach, about the leap, about the going for it. I was reminded of that when I read that quote and read those words. So it affected the entire album. It affected the writing and inspired me to name the album Leap." The album is shaped by its twelve tracks, which James describes as "anthems of hope." "I was making music from an emotionally, dark, and sad kind of place. I've done that before in the past and to some degree, I feel I've become, not known for sad songs, but almost. I very intentionally pushed that boundary and evolved it. I wanted to make songs that people could... Not to be too bold, but to go on anthems of hope," James reveals. A lot of James' inspirations and influence that push him as an artist come from all kinds of media or the arts (books, movies, etc.) and of course, life experiences, are what is always inspiring James. "I will be hit by a moment in a movie or a book. I've always referenced James Baldwin's writing. I started reading his books when I was about twenty, or nineteen. Another Country and Giovanni's Room... Wow, the way he handles love and anguish, and heartache just blows me away. So sometimes different media and different corners of the arts are always affecting me and inspiring me, but in terms of what actually comes from me as an artist and a person is over fifty percent of it will be rooted come from a life experience," James explains. When it comes down to writing and creating music, James loves a good collaborative effort. While James does still love writing music solo and being the only person in the credits of a track, he prefers getting into the studio and writing a tune with two or more people to take an idea of his and have more than one voice bounce ideas off an incubating piece of music to further it in some kind of way. "Collaboration is the spice of life," James admits. "Sometimes I just need myself and an instrument to get through some stuff." However, when it came down to Leap , James tried something entirely new with his co-writing sessions. "Actually, on Leap, I decided to go to co-writing sessions with no ideas. I'd just speak from the heart about what's going on and see what we could make musically in the moment, " he shares. Something everyone has in common is a preferred method of listening to new music for the very first time. James' preferred method of listening to music is while he is on the move. That's how he described it when asked how you should listen to  Leap. "In transit," he says with a smile. "Driving in the car is one favourite. Go for a walk, get on a train. I love a good train listen. A plane listen is nuts because once we get thirty or forty thousand feet in the air, everyone's emotions go wild. I recommend listening in transit because that's the moment when we spend time thinking about other stuff in our lives, I suppose. I think that music and songs pair well with life circumstances, whatever they are," he continues. While certain ways of listening to music can be a sensory experience for all, sometimes music can throw you into an old memory, place, or time, and can be accompanied by feelings or smells. For James, Leap reminds him of sandalwood, the soft light of the sunrise in the morning, and the stability and security of laying down on the floor. "Sandalwood. I will throw that in there because I love it and it's inviting," he shares as he smiles again. "Light... like dawn light. The first light in the morning, that glowy, soft light. That's so fresh. In a way, the sense of laying on the floor and feeling the ground... feel that stability. There's some balance in sitting on a couch or chair but go lower than that to the floor, where all your limbs and body can touch the same level surface. That security and sturdiness." "Some of my first memories that come to mind are being in Nashville in 2020, held up in the studio with this pandemic thing on the news that no one really knows anything about. Like whoa! What's happening in the world? and we were like, 'Well, guess we're okay in here if we have takeout food and instruments,'" James reminisces. Some of Jame's favourite fond memories from the Leap sessions are uniquely related to having recorded it throughout the COVID-19 pandemic with producers over Zoom. "Even though I never want to make an album through a pandemic again, I'm so proud of what we made, but it's the moments over Zoom where we are like this [points to himself and the screen], while I have a guitar but with a producer on the other end saying, 'Okay, go!' [mimicking hitting record] and I'm like 'Okay, here it comes!' [doing an air guitar gesture] I'll never forget that. That's how this album was made, or at least part of it. It's this crazy hybrid of these wild times in the world." Another significant memory for James from the recording of Leap came during the five weeks prior to lockdown, when he was in the studio with three other musicians and they recorded a handful of tunes without a click-track. "Ninety-nine percent of music is recorded to a click-track so the music never speeds up or slows down, and that every song is the same tempo, and that's brilliant. There's nothing wrong with that, I make lots of music like that. I respect it, I love it. But the freedom I remember loving, and even being a little scared of, in that room with those musicians when we decided to record music without a click-track, which we did do, there are about five or six songs on this album, that is a memory I will always enjoy and I want to replicate in the future," James divulges. One of James' favourite tracks on Leap is "Endless Summer Nights." One of the first songs written for the album. It was written about a moment you never ever want to end. To detail what he would love in an endless summer night, he recounted a fun story from his joint tour with Ed Sheeran in 2019. "This was actually a highlight in what was a pretty difficult year," James recollects. "I went on tour with Ed Sheeran. He invited me to open up for him in all these big sports stadiums around Europe. We finished the tour in Iceland, where summer is in American numbers about forty degrees. He was staying in this unbelievable house, the driveway way was about ten minutes long. We went there to party after the end of tour and I'm just standing in the kitchen and Ed turns up in his underwear. And he said, "We're getting in the lake.' It's dark outside, so I said, 'What? What lake?' He said, 'At the bottom of the garden, there is a lake.' And I said, 'It's very cold outside.' It's like after midnight, and it was very fucking cold. He said, 'It's okay, there's a hot tub.' I said, 'Okay,' and so I look at my guitar tech who was next to me that I was talking to and said, 'We're getting in the lake!' So we took most of our clothes off and ran into the darkness, nobody could see where the fuck the water was. It was so unbelievably cold, that I think my heart burst out of my chest for a second. We got out and ran for the hot hub and we got in, and it was the greatest feeling ever," James describes in detail. With Leap and its twelve tracks, James has a major heartfelt message he hopes listeners and fans can take away from the music on the new record. "Given what I went through when I started making this music, these struggles with mental health I was dealing with are struggles I know I will deal with again. These things come in waves, they just do. I'm working my damnedest to deal with it all better, but given all that, the message I want to embark is something I'm trying to tell myself every day. It's that if whatever happens, rather a day sucks or it really really sucks because sometimes they do, there's tomorrow. It can all be fresh and start again. I know it's a bit simple, but I'm learning as I grow that these simple things can be quite effective. I'm just trying to keep my chin up and I think if people can find ways through this music to do the same thing, I'm really glad," James conveys wholeheartedly. Moving forward as a successful recording artist, James just wants to keep writing and recording, but he most importantly wants to keep performing in front of his fans and new fans he has yet to make. He wants to keep doing what he loves, and that's being a musician and conveying his feelings and life experiences into song. "I want to be able to carry on doing it," he admits. "I want to be able to sell out venues at the end of 2022 and at the end of 2032. I want to make moves to exist and not disappear. I don't know how that sounds. I don't know if that sounds over-eager, ugly or something, but I LOVE this. I love music, but I love performing live. I love sharing the experience with crowds, with bigger crowds. I feel like I have so much to offer. These are bold things to say. I don't know if I'm at my peak best yet, but I'm trying to get there and I want to share the journey with all these people who are interested in what I put out and make. My ambition is to do it in ten years and be old," James discloses. "...and own more guitars," James shares as he grits his teeth. Be sure to check out James on tour right now in America, Europe this fall, and South America this winter. More info here . Check out more from James Bay: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Carter Faith’s latest EP, The Aftermath , which was released on October 11, 2024, via Capitol Records Nashville, is a stirring showcase of her growth as an artist and her ability to craft stories that resonate deeply with listeners. Across its five tracks, Faith delivers a heartfelt exploration of love, loss, resilience, and self-discovery, all underscored by her signature blend of emotive storytelling and modern country melodies. The EP opens with the title track, “The Aftermath,” a poignant ballad that sets the tone for the collection of country tunes. Faith’s delicate yet powerful vocals glide effortlessly over a lush arrangement, capturing the bittersweet reality of moving on from heartbreak. The song’s reflective lyrics and sweeping chorus establish it as a standout moment on the EP. “Alright” follows with a breezier, mid-tempo vibe, offering a message of hope and self-assurance. The track’s catchy melody and uplifting lyrics make it a perfect anthem for those learning to embrace life’s imperfections. Faith’s breezy confidence shines through, making it one of the most accessible and relatable songs in her catalogue. One of the EP’s biggest highlights is “Blue Bird,” a hauntingly infectious country tune that features the legendary Alison Krauss lending her fiddle skills and voice. Their voices intertwine beautifully, creating an ethereal soundscape that amplifies the song’s themes of longing and freedom. The delicate instrumentation, including gentle fiddle and acoustic guitar, serves as a perfect backdrop for this emotional collaboration. “Strong Stuff” shifts the tone with a gritty, introspective edge. The track’s driving rhythm and Faith’s raw, honest delivery make it a powerful ode to resilience. It’s a reminder that strength often comes from facing life’s toughest challenges head-on. The EP concludes with “Late Bloomer,” a reflective and deeply personal track that captures the essence of self-discovery and acceptance. Faith’s tender vocals and the song’s minimalist arrangement create an intimate and moving finale that lingers with the listener long after the music has faded. With The Aftermath , Carter Faith cements her place as one of country music’s most promising voices. The EP not only highlights her remarkable vocal range and songwriting prowess but also showcases her ability to connect with her audience on a deeply personal level. Her authenticity and emotional depth set her apart in a genre that thrives on storytelling. Having already amassed over 110 million global streams and shared stages with country legends like Little Big Town, Keith Urban, and Willie Nelson, Faith is poised for even greater success. Her inclusion in campaigns such as CMT’s Next Women of Country  and Spotify’s Fresh Finds  program underscores her rising star power and cross-genre appeal. The Aftermath  is more than just an EP; it’s a testament to Carter Faith’s evolution as an artist and her ability to turn life’s highs and lows into music that resonates with the heart. This collection is sure to solidify her status as a leading voice in modern country music. Listen to The Aftermath   HERE Follow Carter Faith on her socials: Instagram  | TikTok  | Facebook  | YouTube  | Website

Canadian pop singer and songwriter JESSIA announces her new EP, Okay With Every Part , out July 19th , and shares her new single, " Different People ." It’s been a milestone year for JESSIA who bravely transitioned to releasing music independently after parting ways with her label. Taking her future into her own hands, she presents her first independent project, Okay With Every Part . The 6-track EP includes hit songs like   " The Woman You Are ," " Care About Me ," and " He’s a 10 ," as well as three brand new tracks.  JESSIA opens up about her first independent project: “Losing a label and a relationship within the span of 3 months shook me. I felt shame, rejection, anger, and frustration, but also freedom, adventure, passion, and resilience. As much as I didn’t want to, I had to learn to accept and move through these new obstacles. Each song on this project represents a pivotal moment in my journey to finding peace and confidence again. This EP represents me accepting the good and bad parts of life so that I can look back and say, I’m okay with every part." Out today, “Different People,” one of the new tracks from the EP, is an emotionally resonant breakup anthem. “ It’s about the no-contact stage of a breakup and all the intrusive thoughts that go along with it ,” JESSIA explains of the relatable concept behind the song. “ This song is for everyone resisting the urge to pick up the phone and text their ex. Instead of calling him, put this song on at full volume and go for a midnight drive.” Listen to “Different People” on all streaming platforms: https://jessia.lnk.to/differentpeople Watch "Different People" lyric video: https://jessia.lnk.to/dplyric About JESSIA: With over 375 million collective global streams, JUNO Award-winning pop songstress JESSIA has taken the music industry by storm, capturing the hearts of fans across the world with her raw talent, dazzling pop melodies, and heart-wrenching lyricism. She made her explosive introduction in 2021 with the viral single, “ I’m not Pretty .” Racking up hundreds of millions of streams and views, the single caught the attention of Grammy-nominated artist Bebe Rexha, who later joined JESSIA on the track remix. She kept the buzz going with the release of her debut EP, ‘ How Are You? ,’ which was met with widespread support from iHeart, SiriusXM, and Billboard.  In 2023, JESSIA bravely transitioned to releasing music independently. Last year also saw JESSIA take her music on the road with an Asia tour supporting OneRepublic and a sold-out Canadian tour with Dean Lewis. With her undeniable talent and steadfast determination, as well as her ever-growing global fanbase, the sky's the limit for JESSIA. Follow JESSIA online: Instagram | TikTok | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Spotify

Creating music that journeys far beyond the confines of genre, Nova Scotia's Maggie Andrew infuses her style of modern (s)alt-pop with confident, relatable lyrics that often challenge stereotypical norms. Layered with Punk, R&B, Hip-Hop, and Rock, Andrew's textured and edgy songs are boldly charming and stunningly innovative. With frank and straightforward lyrics that leave little room for misinterpretation, Maggie Andrew is an artist who knows what she wants to say, and says it exactly as she means it. Her artistry extends into all aspects of her career, where she also serves as creative director for her photo and video shoots along with her project artwork. Having worked with some of the biggest producers in the industry today including Ash Riser (Kendrick Lamar, AB-Soul), Doc McKinney (The Weeknd, Drake), and YetiBeats (Doja Cat, SZA), Andrew's music has reached over 5 million streams globally and has been featured in leading industry publications, Rolling Stone and Billboard Magazine. Just this year, Andrew was nominated in the African Canadian Artist of the Year award category at the East Coast Music Awards and was previously nominated for a Music Nova Scotia Music Video of the Year award in 2022. Andrew brought home the SOCAN x SiriusXM Young Canadian Songwriters Award in 2021. Andrew has just released her second single of 2023 titled "Better Than You", an edgy, unreserved alternative-pop that says all of the things people think and rarely say, on Friday, June 23, 2023. Teaming up with notable East Coast artists, Andrew wrote "Better Than You" with Carleton Stone and Willie Stratton. The song was produced by JUNO award-winning producer Corey LeRue (Neon Dreams, Ria Mae) and Carleton Stone in Enfield, NS. About "Better Than You": A song that says what most people are usually afraid to say, Maggie Andrew's "Better Than You" cheekily shares a list of things she thought and felt about many of the people she has encountered in her life, solidifying that contrary to what she has been told, she was not the problem. From people she has dated to those in everyday interactions, Andrew uses her latest single to say all the things she refrained from sharing in the moment. Flipping the concept of "it's not you, it's me" on it's head, Andrew's gritty, guitar-centred track features a driving drumbeat behind her Rock textured vocal. With stand-out lyrics and a hard-to-forget, anthemic chorus, "Better Than You" journeys through Andrew's unapologetic personality and thoughts, including her favourite, half-joking lyric, "Your favourite band is Walk Off The Earth and I wish that you would, push you off the edge if I could". Written as an outlet for her thoughts, "Better Than You" is a highly relatable, sassily confident tune that stands out among the Alternative-Pop music of today. "Better Than You" was written with Carleton Stone and Willie Stratton at a song camp in late 2022.  About Maggie: Nova Scotia-based singer-songwriter Maggie Andrew draws together a melange of influences in her lavish, innovative (s)alt-pop, fusing the likes of irreverent punk, melodic rap, simmering R&B, and fang-bearing indie rock. Beyond songwriting and performing, the boundary-breaking hitmaker is a consummate 360-degree artist, acting as creative director and overseeing all aesthetic decisions for her work, including single and album art, photo shoot styling, and music video production. Andrew cut her teeth working a number of years in LA with artists and producers like Blackbear, Ash Riser (Kendrick Lamar, AB-Soul), Doc McKinney (The Weeknd, Drake), and YetiBeats (Doja Cat, SZA), and has been covered in Rolling Stone, Billboard, and AltPress. She’s amassed over 5 million streams globally and has been roundly recognized for her work, winning the SOCAN x Sirius XM Young Canadian Songwriters Award in 2021, and receiving nominations for the MNS Music Video of the Year Award (2022) and the African Canadian Artist of the Year ECMA (2023).   Check out more from Maggie Andrew: Website /  Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / Spotify /  YouTube /  TikTok

Release Date: June 6, 2020 Genre: Rock Label: BMG Canada / Farmer & The Owl The renowned Australian rock duo Hockey Dad has released the fourth single, “Good Eye” off their upcoming third full-length album, Brain Candy , out July 31 via Farmer & The Owl / BMG Canada. Hockey Dad has had four songs from their previous album, Blend Inn , make triple j’s Hottest 100 list, have surpassed half a million monthly listeners on Spotify, toured the world extensively, with many recognizably large shows across their home country of Australia, and have garnered over twenty-four million streams collectively across Spotify alone. The duo recorded their brand new full-length album, Brain Candy at the infamous, Robert Lang Studios with producer, John Goodmanson (Death Cab For Cutie, Sleater-Kinney, Wolf Parade) at the helm. Musically, “Good Eye” is more simple and straightforward than the other three singles, “In This State,” “Itch,” and “I Missed Out,” that Hockey Dad has so far released off the upcoming effort. The single kicks off with an intro consisting of a melodic set of power chords, that do repeat over the entire track played by vocalist and guitarist Zach Stephenson, before drummer Billy Fleming arrives on the song smashing the drums. The song mellows out in the middle, going acoustic briefly before picking back up. Both Zach and Billy repeat a majority of the same notes and chords throughout the track, but not every song has to be super sophisticated, making for a sweet and simple melodic indie rock-esque song overall. By the end of “Good Eye,” it’s quite perceptible the track is an infectiously catchy rock track all around, while Stephenson is belting out across the song’s lyrics, on the reasons why he has a good eye. Steam Hockey Dad’s “Good Eye” is now on your preferred music streaming service. Check out more from Hockey Dad: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter