Sully Burrows, Noeline Hofmann and Jake Vaadeland rock Canadian country music scene
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The singing competition saw the trio beat out hundreds of hopefuls in a bid to land the $25,000 grand prize and the title of Top of the Country champion. The winner will be crowned at next month's Canadian Country Music Awards in Kelowna, B.C. The two runners-up will each take home $10,000.
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All three couldn't be more different musically — Burrows graduated high school in Parry Sound, Ont., last June before landing his first hit song Youth last October; Hofmann was a rancher in Alberta who caught the ear of country superstar Zach Bryan; and Juno-winning Vaadeland puts his own unique spin on country and bluegrass — but the trio are all united in wanting to have their voices heard.
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Since she was a little girl, Hofmann, 22, always dreamed of playing music for a living. 'But I grew up in a town of 1,500 people … I never saw an example of how pursuing a career in music could be possible,' she told Postmedia in an interview at Nashville's CMA Fest earlier this summer. 'Still, I always felt in my heart that was something I wanted to do.'
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After recording her plaintive track Purple Gas, the Bow Island, Alta. native saw her career take off when Bryan asked if she would sing it with him on his 2024 album The Great American Bar Scene.
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The song's title is a reference to a type of fuel farmers and ranchers use in Alberta.
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'I never could have imagined that it would end up on his album,' the Country Music Alberta Award winner says. 'It's hard to measure the impact Zach has had on my journey … he's such an advocate for artists and writers and I'm so grateful to him for giving me a chance to take the ball and run with it.'
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She's spent most of the summer on the road, with a show booked alongside Bryan, Kings Of Leon and Turnpike Troubadours at San Francisco's Golden Gate Park set for Aug. 15 and opening dates on The Crooner & The Cowboy Tour with Leon Bridges and Charley Crockett.
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Hofmann is also up for two CCMAs — Breakthrough Artist and Alternative Country Album of the Year.
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Toronto Sun
an hour ago
- Toronto Sun
What to stream before summer ends: 'The Studio,' 'Severance,' 'MobLand' and more
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SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Looking for something to binge this August? While we take some time off for the rest of this month, we're bringing you a list of shows and movies that we've loved watching this year and where you can find them. The Studio Seth Rogen plays a newly-minted head of a movie studio who has to balance his own insecurities with his desire to be loved by the Hollywood stars he worships. One of the breakout hits of the year, the dramedy scored 23 nominations at next month's Emmy Awards. Where to watch:Apple TV+ Your Friends and Neighbors After being fired, a hedge fund manager (Jon Hamm) resorts to stealing from his affluent neighbours to keep himself afloat. 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The Province
14 hours ago
- The Province
The End charts a new beginning for Wolfgang Van Halen and Mammoth
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Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors The End is another hit for Wolfgang Van Halen. The third album by his band Mammoth is one of the summer's hot rock records. Propelled by the title track and its accompanying video, which is directed by Robert Rodriguez and stars Danny Trejo, the album is also something of a new beginning for the one-man band launched in 2015 by the son of the late guitar hero Eddie Van Halen. 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By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'The End was a whirlwind two-day shoot and a lot of work, but I think music videos are an important part of the business and, maybe, something of a lost art that we should be doing,' said Van Halen. 'The new album is all parts me again, as that is how I really feel that I can fully express my ideas in the studio, fighting creatively with myself all the while. The band, it's all about bringing their own playing styles to the music and making the live show something powerful and all its own. Because I'm no stickler to doing it just like the recording.' Recording at Van Halen's 5150 studio, where his only collaborator is producer and friend Michael 'Elvis' Baskette, Van Halen meticulously constructs modern rock in line with groups such as Foo Fighters or Creed. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Mammoth will open for Creed on the band's Summer of '99 tour, which comes to Vancouver's Rogers Arena on Aug. 16. Tickets are on sale at . Wolfgang briefly played in Creed guitarist Mark Tremonti's group, Tremonti, from 2012-2016. Mammoth has previously toured with Guns N Roses and Metallica, among others. 'I'm very much looking forward to the dates, as I'm excited to be exposed to their fans,' he said. 'Big Wreck is on the tour, too, and I've never seen them live but really like what I've heard. I kind of like the introductory audition-ary approach of being first of three on a bill.' Having the last name he does means there is pretty relentless trolling around his career and questions about his talent. This seems unfair given the musicianship on Mammoth WVH, Mammoth II and the End, which showcases a style of rock that is very different from Van Halen's sound. Wolfgang says you just have to deal with it as part of the package. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'It would be different if I was out there playing Panama every night, which is an important distinction, that unabashedly doing my own thing instead,' he said. 'Dave Grohl formed the Foo Fighters and didn't go out playing Nirvana songs, and I think I'm doing the same thing and will continue to do so. It seems to be working out well so far.' With three albums and a host of solid singles to Mammoth's credit, putting together the opening slot set list has been pretty easy. But once this tour is done, the band will embark on its first headlining tour in the fall. Planning what to play in a longer show is interesting and presents opportunities to do things differently. 'With three records to choose from, it's easier to tailor a full experience, but it's never an easy thing for me to play live,' he said. 'I'm a shy introvert by nature, but need to force myself out of my comfort zone to be out there representing what I'm putting out. I think after five years, I'm starting to get the hang of it, but the headlining tour will be a challenge.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. One song that isn't planned for the set at the moment is I'm Just Ken. Wolfgang plays guitar on the Ryan Gosling-sung piece from director Greta Gerwig's Oscar-winning hit film Barbie. Van Halen joined Mark Ronson and Slash as a member of the backing band of Kens at the 2024 Academy Awards broadcast. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I wasn't in on the award at all, as that was all Mark and his co-writer, Andrew Wyatt, that got the Oscar,' he said. 'I just dropped in the guitar and some extended tapping stuff for the longer version in the film. It was a lot of fun, though.' 'Tapping stuff' refers to the playing technique of striking the guitar strings between frets with your finger to create a sound that is almost keyboard-like in its fluidity. While there are many examples of tapping recorded long before Eddie Van Halen showcased it on his legendary solo titled Eruption, the guitarist brought the style to prominence in hard rock and today it is commonplace. For his part, Wolfgang doesn't see the flashier elements of his late father's approach to guitar as his greatest musical accomplishment. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Honestly, I don't think he gets nearly enough credit for his rhythm playing,' he said. 'Solos are all fun and flashy, but you don't have a song without rhythm, and his efforts as that kind of player and overall song creation is more important than anything else. His songs could exist without solos.' As to which of the many instruments he displays the most command over on Mammoth recordings, Wolfgang says guitar was the one he had the most trouble finding an individual voice with. Part of this was due to the inevitable comparisons that came with his name, but more so with finding his own style to go along with his singing voice. 'Singing has always come to me really naturally, easily even,' he said. 'But, from the inception of Mammoth, I wanted to find my own sound to go with that. I think that was when I started to fall in love with the sound of semi-hollow body guitars like the EVH SA-126 signature model I play now.' The Mammoth headline tour starts in November. Look for updates at sderdeyn@ Read More Love concerts, but can't make it to the venue? Stream live shows and events from your couch with VEEPS, a music-first streaming service now operating in Canada. Click here for an introductory offer of 30% off. Explore upcoming concerts and the extensive archive of past performances. Vancouver Whitecaps Local News News Vancouver Whitecaps Vancouver Whitecaps
Calgary Herald
16 hours ago
- Calgary Herald
Postponed Vancouver concert prompts musician to play free pop-up show
Article content Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Article content American musician Jonah Kagen was looking forward to opening for singer Sam Barber at an Aug. 11 show at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Unfortunately, the show was postponed due to Barber having a vocal injury. Article content Article content Rather than lose a great opportunity to introduce local audiences to songs from his debut album Sunflowers and Leather, the singer-songwriter decided to head down to David Lam Park and play a pop-up solo show for anyone who showed up. Article content Article content 'Sam's bus didn't even make it up to Vancouver due to his vocal injury and just headed straight to Portland from Tacoma,' said Kagen. 'I went kind of rogue, to be honest, heading up to town on my own to do a lounge earlier in the day at the PEAK FM. During that time, I kept getting social media messages asking about the show and wasn't in any position to comment officially, which was a bit awkward.' Article content She wasn't thrilled by the idea. Article content 'She wasn't too happy about it, being concerned for my safety and all,' he said 'But I felt that I had to do this and give those people who had travelled distances to see the show to get a chance to see me, at least. I'd done this sort of thing in the past, but it's all on a much bigger scale now.' Article content Following his song God Needs the Devil from his 2024 EP reaching No. 1 on American alternative radio, Kagen is in new territory with his full-length debut Sunflowers and Leather. But new songs such as Candy Land, The Reaper and Burn Me, which features Sam Barber, were all going to be making their first live appearances on a Canadian stage at the postponed performance. Article content Article content View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jonah Kagen (@jonahkagen) Article content 'All I really cared about was getting people who wanted to hear me to get a chance to do so,' he said. 'I posted some messages and a few hundred people came down and we took pictures and had a great time. They even pushed me to FaceTime Sam, who gave everyone a wave.' Article content Article content All told, it was a memorable introduction for Kagen to local audiences. He had a great time in Vancouver. Article content 'I took an Uber from my Airbnb down to the park, got out and said 'hey' to everyone there and played,' he said. 'All told, it was probably about seven or eight songs over 40 minutes. Then I stuck around to talk to people, waited until they all left and took an Uber back to my room and then headed down to Portland the next morning.'
