“Motel Room” by Bob Sumner

Vancouver’s Bob Sumner has announced his upcoming album, Some Place to Rest Easy, and released the first single as well titled “Motel Room”.

The press release tells us that “three of the tunes on Some Place to Rest Easy touch on the loss of multiple loved ones to alcoholism. These losses hold particular weight for Sumner, who left behind his own problematic path with drinking after a serious health diagnosis two years ago.”

“Motel Room” is one of these three songs, and while the subject matter is serious, the song itself is upbeat and catchy, and it comes with a fun video showing Bob and friends dancing in front of the El Rancho Motel in Pentiction, BC.

Bob’s record release show in Vancouver will be on August 10th and the Fox Cabaret.

Christine

“Voice in the Dark” by Carmen Braden

I can tell you the exact moment that “Voice in the Dark” by Carmen Braden grabbed me, it was the verse:

When you’re the first one awake
You have to believe that everyone is still there, just sleeping
Not disappeared off the face of the earth
And aliens replace all the taxi drivers

The new song is a moody, yet catchy jam, with the Yellowknife singer/songwriter explaining: “One day there was a major system failure where my friend worked as a radio host. They knew no one could hear them, but they had to keep talking in case the signal managed to get back on air. The song is about holding onto thin threads of hope, about connection between people over big spaces and through dark times. It’s also an homage to radio and the power it still has to connect - something that’s still a strong part of culture and community in Canada’s north.”

“Voice in the Dark” is the first single off Carmen’s upcoming album A Hard Light, which is out on December 5th.

Kirk