Great Dark Wonder

Written for and by fans of the fantastic Canadian music scene...

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Review: The Rainy Day Apparel, “Views”

Jess explores "Views," the latest project from The Rainy Day Apparel.

As anticipated, The Rainy Day Apparel have delivered new music that exceeds my expectations. Including two previously released singles, “Moon, Light, Waves” (2020), and “Freakin’ Out” (2021), the recently released EP “Views” boasts three new songs to tantalize your eardrums with. Vocalist Nathan Ess’s voice consistently shines through the beautiful instrumentals added to support each song, the EP…

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Boy Golden: Live At The Ardmore Music Hall

Martin recaps last Thursday's tremendous performance by Boy Golden at Ardmore Music Hall - check it out here.

Touring the US and Canada in support of The Sheepdogs, Winnipeg’s Boy Golden is finally enjoying the opportunity to share music with a much wider audience. Having first heard the Canadian radio hit “KD and Lunch Meat” last year on SXM radio, along with a unique cover of the Tom T. Hall classic, “The Year Clayton Delaney Died,” this was an artist that landed slap-bang on my listening…

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Single Review: Hyaenas, “Another Level”

Martin shares his thoughts on the new single from The Hyaenas, "Another Level."

Back in early June, Vancouver, BC indie-rockers Hyaenas very quickly earned my attention with their absolute corker of a debut single, “Little Trophy.”  This was a tune that has remained in my frequent listening rotation almost five months after the release, and is a lock for the 2022 Memorable Singles list that I plan to compile for an upcoming year-end feature.   Comprised of Sophie Heppell…

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The Sheepdogs “Live & Outta Sight” Tour Comes To The Ardmore Music Hall

Team GDW headed to the Philly area to see The Sheepdogs at the Ardmore Music Hall - check out our recap and a video here.

I’m sure that for most of you, and just like us, you have fond memories of the annual events you took for granted and enjoyed immensely – at least up until the moment when the global pause button decided to ruin many a party in early 2020. Attending live music events is in our blood, and yes, the arrival of the pandemic and all of its trimmings sure burst many a bubble. Prior to 2020, one of our…

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Video Vault: Commonwealth Connections Edition

It's time for #VideoVault again! Check out videos from Asylums, Camp Cope, More Kicks, and Mel Parsons in this special Commonwealth Connections edition.

Just over the last few weeks alone, we’ve received music submissions from several British acts, have been messaged by a GDW reader highly recommending an Australian alt-rock trio, and checked in on the happenings with some of our fave artists on the New Zealand scene. Cue the lightbulb that went off in my head when looking for an angle for this month’s Video Vault feature. If you are looking for…

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Review: Cedarstrip Rocketship, “Megaphones” EP

Martin's been listening to "Megaphones," the recent EP from Cedarstrip Rocketship - learn all about it here.

Toronto-based collective, Cedarstrip Rocketship, last appeared on our pages back in December 2020 (was it really that long ago???), their unique cover of “Silver Bells” featured in a holiday music edition of our recurring Snappy Singles series. At the forefront of this band is author and indie-folk artist Dan Taylor (vocals/guitars), who reached out to us earlier this year with exciting news…

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Review: Terra Spencer & Ben Caplan, “Old News”

Douglas reviews the new album "Old News" from Terra Spencer and Ben Caplan, out today on #NewMusicFriday.

“There is nothing new under the sun,” an old saying goes. Old news will be made new, if you live long enough. What once was, will be again. Everything is Old News. In a bold stroke, Windsor, NS musician Terra Spencer has recorded her third full length album, ‘Old News,” in a wholly realized partnership with Ben Caplan, an established and well-known musical legend based in Halifax, Nova…

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Snappy Singles: October Essentials

It's time for another edition of #SnappySingles - this month we have music from Lapelúda, Lesley Pike, Ellen Froese, and Claire Davis.

Without sounding like a broken record here, the single releases from across Canada are coming at us thick and fast right now.  So much to choose from, so little space to share.  At least with our #SnappySingles feature, we can devote time to four recent cuts that you absolutely need to become familiar with – so take an extended coffee break and marvel at this fine selection of fresh…

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AHI: Live At Jammin’ Java

On this #Thanksgiving we're thankful for all the artists we've been fortunate to see live, the most recent of whom is AHI, who gave a stellar performance Jammin' Java on Thursday - read about it here.

Back in early 2021, Toronto-based indie folk-soul artist and 2-time JUNO nominee AHI announced a small run of US headlining shows – his first solo venture south of the Canadian border after several successful US tours supporting notable names such as Patty Griffin, Lauren Daigle, and (most recently) Mandy Moore. Having been starved of live music opportunities as the global pandemic ran amok,…

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Single Premiere: Ben Somer, “99 (A Hockey Song)”

Team GDW is delighted to bring you the premiere of "99 (A Hockey Song)" from Ben Somer - we first heard this live a few months ago and we're excited for everyone to hear it now.

“The one that she adored wasn’t Messier or Orr / She liked Gordie Howe just fine, but he’s still half of 99 / She kept him on her bedroom wall, a poster her first kiss / And she knew her love would hit the mark, the Great One he don’t miss.” Beating the buzzer before the start of a new NHL season, Hamilton, ON singer-songwriter (and producer) Ben Somer releases “99 (A Hockey Song)” today, an ode…

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Take A Chance On Me: PONY, “TV Baby”

Martin recently took a chance on "TV Baby," the debut album from PONY - find out what he thought of it here.

I’m sure that you remember the premise for this particular recurring feature, right?  That we stumble upon a CD or vinyl from an unknown (to us) Canadian artist when (and/or where) we least expect it, and choose to pick it up on a whim to bring home for our listening pleasures. While we broke our own rules slightly with the previous recipient of this feature back in April (Ryan Kennedy), whose…

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Single & Video Release: Mimi O’Bonsawin, “I Am Alive”

Jess brings us a piece on "I Am Alive," the latest single and video from Mimi O'Bonsawin - find out all about it here.

Another familiar voice to GDW – the very talented singer-songwriter from Sudbury, ON, Mimi O’Bonsawin, released her single, “I Am Alive,” back on September 14th – which will in turn be featured on her upcoming 2023 album. Mimi shares about this rhythmic song, “I am Alive is a vibrant celebration of life. It may be cliché, but the journey of life is worth celebrating. In my own life, I have…

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Terra Lightfoot: Live At The Ancaster Fair

Martin recaps a fiery performance at the 2022 Ancaster Fair by Terra Lightfoot - read all about it (and see a video from it) here.

Fresh on the heels of our recent recap about the headlining performance from Matt Mays at the 2022 Ancaster Fair, we turn our attention today to Terra Lightfoot, who co-headlined the show and very quickly raised the decibel levels around this small Hamilton suburb. Notice my blatant use of the term ‘co-headliner’ here, because in my humble opinion, not only has Terra earned such a distinction,…

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Great Dark Wonder: Celebrating Six Years Of Sharing Great Music

It's our birthday!!!! Today Team GDW celebrates six years of the Little Blog That Could, thanks to all of you. Read our thoughts about Year 6 here.

Happy September 30th to each and every one of our readers out there. We are incredibly grateful that you continue to take this wonderful music journey with us!!! As we celebrate the sixth anniversary of Great Dark Wonder today, it really boggles the mind to believe that even with the events of the last couple of years, we somehow continued to keep our wheels turning, and the music coverage…

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Matt Mays: Live At The Ancaster Fair

Martin recaps an outstanding appearance by Matt Mays at the Ancaster Fair last Saturday night - check out his recap and enjoy a sample here.

After wrapping up our long ‘festival’ weekend in Muskoka last month, we had no immediate plans to return to ON again so soon – but never say never, right?  A social media post from Dartmouth, NS singer-songwriter Matt Mays placed our senses on high alert when discovering that he would be performing at the Ancaster Fair on a Saturday night.  Those senses were further heightened when learning that…

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Video Vault: Road Trip – Video Vacation Style

In this month's #VideoVault we share new videos from Eva Schubert, Tanglers, Skye Wallace, and Shane Pendergast.

We unlock the Video Vault once again to share some music from across Canada.  Starting out west, we have a pair of great new tunes from BC, before heading east to reconnect with the music of a pair of friends who are no strangers here at GDW.  As always, you do not need a Blockbuster Card or a Netflix subscription to enjoy the entertainment we provide for you. Eva Schubert, “Hard Hands” We kick…

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Review: Adam Baldwin, “Concertos & Serenades”

Long-time reader Craig shares his thoughts about “Concertos & Serenades,” the brand-new album from Adam Baldwin on Sonic Records - check out his review here.

Full disclosure: I’m an American who loves great music, and Adam Baldwin is an incredible gift from Canada.  For those of you who were going a little stir-crazy during the COVID-19 pandemic, Baldwin gave us a safe space, an outlet from our day-to-day struggles with his “Cross-Country Chin Up” concert series.  Those sessions gave us a glimpse into the inner workings of this great…

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