ION Magazine

Daily Specials

Matt Sharp and the Rentals Share First Single from New Records

Matthew Swann is a rarity in the music business in this day and age. Performing under his Astral Swans moniker he crafts thoughtful, introspective songs that contain some pretty powerful themes as well as some pretty powerful hooks. With his newly released sophomore album Strange Prison, Swann has created a set of extremely personal songs that at the same time are instantly relatable to any listener. The album tackles an array of subjects such as mental health issues, trauma, the duality of people and the uniting power of art.

MUSIC PROFILE | JOAN OF ARC

Mon, 06/04/2018 - 11:43 by karyn

At first pass, the ties between soon-to-be-retired metal masters Slayer and amorphous Chicago art rock collective Joan of Arc aren't exactly obvious.

MUSIC PROFILE | JO PASSED

Tue, 05/08/2018 - 11:12 by karyn

Jo Passed was a band that almost never happened. The project that sprung from the mind of thoughtful Vancouver-based musician Jo Hirabayashi came about after he moved away from his home in Vancouver to the cultured, and much cheaper, climate of Montreal. “I didn’t plan on coming back,” Hirabayashi explains. “I thought I was going to stay out east and create a life for myself.

MUSIC PROFILE | WEAVES

Fri, 05/04/2018 - 15:10 by karyn

Morgan Waters is just outside of Bloomington, Indiana, driving through the countryside and discussing why, after a solid year of being on the road with his band, Weaves, that they would want to jump right back into more recording and touring. “We accumulated so many great experiences on that last tour but we felt like being creative again,” he explains about the process crafting the new Weaves album Wide Open.

MUSIC PROFILE | THE SEA AND CAKE

Wed, 05/02/2018 - 16:17 by karyn

General maintenance is on The Sea and Cake frontman/guitarist Sam Prekop's mind when ION reaches him shortly after the Chicago outfit have wrapped a rehearsal. In part, this means the band have been tightening arrangements and locking back into the gentle, jazzy grooves they've been crafting together since the early 90s, and continue to expand upon with Any Day, their first album in six years.

Maryze Debuts First Single

Fri, 04/27/2018 - 12:48 by karyn

Perhaps realizing that the public connects with personality rather than product in these times, the soigné siren of Seaborne Maryse Bernard, has released some personal solo material. Times are tough for "bands" in an world where we try to get closer to them through Twitter interactions rather than the most high performing stereo system.

Bruce Springsteen’s “57 Channels (And Nothin’ On)”

Thu, 04/26/2018 - 13:36 by karyn

Sure, most of us can trace the broader consequences of the Cold War signing off, but what happened on Thunder Road when the Berlin Wall came crashing down? Bruce Springsteen’s sleeper hit “57 Channels (And Nothin’ On)”, lifted from his 1992 album Human Touch, tackles the question head-on, providing an understated commentary about the meaning of the American Dream in an age of post-Cold War ennui that resonates deeper with every listen.

VIDEO PREMIERE | The Charm Offensive - "Machinations of Love"

Wed, 04/25/2018 - 14:15 by karyn

The Charm Offensive definitely has one foot firmly planted in the one of our most colourful decades, the 1980s. This has been explored previously in their collaborations with director Ash Middleton and with their latest joint, the Vancouver based band have decided to jump right in and place their other foot firmly in the aesthetics of said decade. The new video for “Machinations Of Love”, a bonus track from their debut EP Polite Mouth//Honest Hands, is set in a 1980s idea of dystopian future. So, a dystopia but drenched in gorgeously hot neon.

MUSIC PROFILE | PRE NUP

Tue, 04/24/2018 - 09:39 by karyn

Pre Nup members Josiah and Sara Jean Hughes' online presence is as prolific as it is hilarious. Of the Calgary pop-punk power couple's many highlights, a recent tweet from Sara Jean celebrating Taraji P. Henson's red carpet roasting of Ryan Seacrest was liked a whopping 86 thousand times, including co-signs from Vanity Fair and Roxane Gay.

MUSIC PROFILE | SLOAN

Wed, 04/18/2018 - 14:58 by karyn

The first time ION tries contacting Sloan's Chris Murphy for an interview about the group's new album, 12, the bassist/vocalist texts back that he's in Thunder Bay seeking out a massage therapist for some sweet relief. It's just the second day of the band's 38-date spring tour, but his body has already been giving him grief.

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