Road to Rendition is the new album by New Rules Duo. Photo: New Rules Duo, used with permission.
New Rules Duo is a multi award-winning international duo made up of Celia Stavri (vocals) and Dominik Dybka (guitar and vocals). Celia Stavri is a singer/singer songwriter born in the UK and now living in Paphos, Cyprus. She is a well known award winning singer and the runner up out of thousands of singers applying for a Greek singing contest called ‘Rising Star,’ which was televised in Greece. She is also the lead singer for the award winning band Party Crasher where she also performs together with Dominik. Dominik is not only a guitarist/singer, but also the owner of the recording studio Overtone Records and the director of the music school Art2see Academy in Paphos. As an accomplished sound engineer and music producer, he takes passion and talent to the next level. Road to Rendition is their new album. (New Rules Duo, 2023)
Road to Rendition is a 12 track cover album featuring cover songs of popular hits including Part Time Lover, Wicked Game, and Zombie. It is available for streaming on SoundCloud, Spotify, and YouTube. Follow New Rules Duo on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
“We have been working extremely hard on this album. Each instrument, sound and voice has been recorded by us and is our ‘rendition’ of some of our favourite songs that we perform. It’s taken blood, sweat and tears but we are so proud of the finished product. We really hope that you all love it as much as we do!”
Whitehorse’s new album is available now. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
Award-winning Canadian duo Whitehorse—Melissa McClelland and Luke Doucet—just released their eighth LP, I’m Not Crying, You’re Crying, leaving no emotional, personal, fantastical, or political stone unturned. The new album finds the pair venturing deeper into classic country music touchstones than ever before; a move that is both a homecoming and an evolution of their sound. A twist on the ever-present “pandemic album,” Whitehorse distilled and transcended the gloom and uncertainty of the time with a collection about heartbreak and loyalty; shaking things up and hunkering down. The resulting twelve-song collection is playful yet profound; masterfully simple and timeless—and is out on Six Shooter Records, surprising and charming critics and fans alike. (Whitehorse, 2023)
Stream or purchaseI’m Not Crying, You’re Crying, where you can listen to fan favorites like “Division 5,” “If The Loneliness Don’t Kill Me,” and new tracks like “Bet The Farm,” which is a chapel-ready ode to loving love.
I’m Not Crying, You’re Crying track list: If The Loneliness Don’t Kill Me I Might Get Over This (But I Won’t Stop Loving You) The Road Division 5 Manitoba Bound Bet The Farm Leave Me as You Found Me 6 Feet Away I Miss The City Sanity, TN Lock It Down Scared of Each Other
Catch Whitehorse on tour: May 18 – Sarnia, ON – Imperial Theatre May 19 – Highgate, ON – Mary Webb Centre May 24 – Meaford, ON – Meaford Hall Arts and Cultural Centre May 25 – London, ON – Aeolian Hall Performing Arts Centre May 26 – Guelph, ON – Royal City Evangelical Missionary Church May 28 – Peterborough, ON – Market Hall Performing Arts Centre May 31 – Ridgeway, ON – The Sanctuary Centre for the Arts June 1 – Paris, ON – DT Concerts Series June 2 – Kingston, ON – BLU Martini June 3 – Ottawa, ON – National Arts Centre June 4 – Parry Sound, ON – Charles W. Stockey Centre
Whitehorse is the prolific partnership of Melissa McClelland and Luke Doucet. Uninhibited by expectation, boldly adventurous, and categorically talented, Whitehorse’s signature sound is always guitar-heavy, harmony-plentiful, and lyrically deft. With an expansive run of records that freely and thrillingly dip in psychedelic country, pop noir, squalling blues rock, and celestial folk, Whitehorse has pushed their musical identity into new realms and sounds for over a decade and has received five consecutive JUNO Award nominations in many different genre categories.
‘Justice: A Tale of the Nepali Civil War’ will be released April 15, 2023. Photo: Ram Khatri, used with permission.
Ram Khatri is the translator of Franz Kafka’s ‘The Metamorphosis’ in Nepali and has worked as the managing editor and publishing manager for academic and commercial publishers in the United States. Originally from the Himalayan country of Nepal, he holds an M.S. in publishing from Pace University, New York, and an M.A. in English literature from Tribhuwan University, Kathmandu. Ram is always fascinated by truly diverse, unrepresented, and heartwarming stories that touch lives. When he is not working, Ram loves interacting with interesting people from different cultures and backgrounds. His new book “Justice: A Tale of the Nepali Civil War (The Graphic Novel Book #1)” is the story of a young girl’s brave journey to reclaim the life she left behind during the unforgiving conflict of the Nepali Civil War. The graphic novel is the first book of its planned three-book series and will be released on April 15, 2023. It is available for pre-order through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other major book sellers. (Ram Khatri, 2023)
“Justice: A Tale of the Nepali Civil War”– In this heartwarming story of family connection, recollection, and survival, the author has revived the memories of the people affected by the Maoist-government war through the displaced to the working farmers.
“It was a simple life; a peaceful life,” narrator Tara muses in Ram Khatri’s pained, humane graphic novel. “At least that’s what I thought in my childhood innocence.” Justice chronicles, from young Tara’s perspective, the end of that innocence, which comes to her Nepali family farm in the form of war.
First, in the early 2000s, her nation is torn between Maoist revolutionaries and government forces, with her father increasingly pressured to take a side. As neighbors turn on each other, and young people are hauled away to fight, Tara’s parents attempt to persevere without involving themselves. But soon soldiers are searching their home as the children hide in the barn, and when the worst happens Tara blames herself. With its sublime settings, diverse characters, and riveting narrative, the girl learns the truth about the life that she left behind.
“Justice: A Tale of the Nepali Civil War” has two sections. The first section was illustrated in color by Sandipan Santra while the second was illustrated in black and white by Ingrid Lilamani. The purpose is to show how different artists from diverse backgrounds visualize the diverse Nepali settings, characters, and its historical events. While the people and places mentioned in Justice are fiction, the story is based on events that occurred during and after the Civil War era in Nepal.
Sponsored Post
1681591765
days
hours minutes seconds
until
‘Justice: A Tale of the Nepali Civil War’ release date
The Welder is available now on digital from Terror Films. Photo: Google
In horror movie news today: From co-writer and director David Liz and starring Vincent De Paul, Camila Rodriguez, and Roe Dunkley, comes The Welder. It is available on video on demand and digital, including Tubi, Prime Video, and Apple TV. On a weekend getaway, a young couple comes face to face with the harrowing experiments of a former doctor bent on curing the social blight of racism. (The Welder, 2023)
The Welder takes the very prevalent issue of racism and subtly explores the true horror that is racial division and even offers a solution, albeit a morbid one. Eliza, a young Latina woman is haunted by a traumatic event she experienced while in the military, so her African American boyfriend takes her on a ranch to help relieve her anxiety and panic attacks. But once there, they find themselves in a fight for their lives as they attempt to elude the demented racial experiments of a doctor gone mad.
Written by Liz and Manny Delgadillo, The Welder is out worldwide now from Terror Films.
Tim Stafford and Thomm Jutz pay tribute to those who ‘Still Had So Much To Say’ on their new album Lost Voices now out via Mountain Fever Records. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
When long-time friends, mutual admirers, and heavily respected bluegrass musicians Tim Stafford and Thomm Jutzstarted accumulating a catalog of co-written songs during Covid lockdown and beyond, it only made sense to get these inspired, well-crafted stories recorded for the rest of the world to hear and enjoy. Retreating to Jutz’ log cabin studio outside of Nashville with a crew of like-minded greats including Shaun Richardson on mandolin, Ron Block on banjo, Tammy Rogers on fiddle, and Mark Fain on bass, Stafford and Jutz cut fourteen of their songs to create an album of tunes that the beloved, late music writer and historian Peter Cooper called “Songs that bring American history—mountain culture, steam trains, vaudeville, race, baseball, strife, and grace—to technicolor life.” The album is called Lost Voices, and it is out now on Mountain Fever Records. (Tim Stafford/Thomm Jutz, 2023)
From Callie Lou, a song based on a scene from Harriette Arnow’s The Doll Maker that features Dale Ann Bradey on vocals; to the story of Negro League heroes, The Elizabethton Blue Grays, brought to life by the dedicated research of Jacey Augustus and the Cedar Grove Foundation; to the amazing story of the now-recognized Navajo heroes of the battle of Iwo Jima in Code Talkers; to The Queen and Crescent which is full of the alluring jargon from the golden era of America’s railroads; Lost Voices is all in tribute to what the longtime Blue Highway guitarist (Stafford) and the long-respected Nashville songwriter and session man (Jutz) call “the lost voices that still had so much to say.”
After calling both Stafford and Jutz “master guitarists and writers,” the aforementioned Cooper described Lost Voices: “These are new kinds of bluegrass songs, informed by mutual heroes Tony Rice, Norman Blake, John Hartford, and Gordon Lightfoot, yet not beholden to any prior influence, other than the influence of the American experience.”
Lost Voices track list: Take That Shot Enough To Keep You Going For A While The Blue Grays The Ballad Of Kinnie Wagner Callie Lou The Wild Atlantic Way No Witness In The Laurel But The Leaves Vaudeville Blues Code Talker The Standing People The Queen And Crescent High Mountain Rising Revolutionary Love Lost Voices
Mountain Fever Records is proud to announce the signing of Tim Stafford and Thomm Jutz; two of the most prominent and prolific songwriters in bluegrass music, for the release of their forthcoming duo project, Lost Voices. Their love for history, vintage guitars, and well-crafted songs brought the two together five years ago. “I’m such an admirer of Tim’s writing, singing, and playing. Making a duo record with Tim was a logical step and a dream come true for me,” notes Jutz. Stafford says, “Thomm is such a great, unique writer, player, and singer – we connected and found so many ideas that spoke to us both. Recording was a breeze!”
‘Winds of Adventure On the Barbary Coast’ is the new historical fiction novel by Jomini Struthers. Photo: Amazon
For fans of historical fiction and action/adventure fiction: Jomini Struthers has a new book out this month. In “Winds of Adventure On the Barbary Coast,” The MacGregor, the captain of the privateers breaks his gunner, Ruben, out of an English prison and presses him into service. They have sailed together before, and Ruben does not want to sail with the MacGregor again. However, he has little choice. It is available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other major booksellers. (Jomini Struthers, 2023)
“Winds of Adventure On the Barbary Coast”– Ruben and the second mate William do not like each other almost at once. Ruben is taken to the privateering ship where he meets two old friends, Mr. Alistair, the first mate, and a teacher nicknamed Archimedes by the crew. They set sail, but because The MacGregor has a convict aboard, they cannot cruise where they had intended. Ruben suggests they attack the corsairs of the Barbary Coast. After much underhanded wrangling, he convinces The MacGregor.
Their plan is to first attack the chieftain of the corsairs, Ahmed. They intend to steal or sink as many of his ships as possible so as to cripple him. They then plan to attack the Shah of the coast, who is the ally and fence of Ahmed. The Shah, however, lives in dread of the ferocious Ahmed. A storm drives them past the Straits of Gibraltar, and then, soon after they have beaten back north and passed the straits, they are captured by the galleys of Ahmed. Ruben manages their escape, and they succeed in taking two of Ahmed’s ships. They then set sail for the city of the Shah.
Once there, Ruben contacts his cousin Benjamin and an old friend named Abraham. The MacGregor begins to realize Ruben has been here before and has ulterior motives for everything he has been doing, especially when Ruben demands half of any loot they capture. Their plan is to sail boldly into the bay and open fire on the palace of the Shah. They hope that he will see the ships of Ahmed which they have captured and believe Ahmed is attacking him, and so will agree to their demands. They demand he empty his treasury for them. The plan goes remarkably well – until they have the gold.
Then everything begins happening at once. Ruben, with the aid of Abraham, steals a very large share of the loot from The MacGregor. Ahmed arrives and attacks one of the ships. William tries to kill Mr. Alistair, and then steals the rest of the treasure that Ruben had not taken. Abraham double crosses Ruben, and tries to steal Ruben’s treasure. Archimedes is almost killed by the Shah’s men. The end finds Ruben, The MacGregor, Archimedes, and a severely wounded Mr. Alistair with one small ship, and no treasure. They set out in pursuit of the treacherous William and further adventures.
Muneefa Abdullah is the Kuwaiti author of the children’s book “New Fairy Tales.” In her newest ebook “LORDOFSPIES,” she writes about William Shakespeare, the English playwright, poet, and actor who is widely considered as the greatest writer in the English language. (Muneefa Abdullah, 2023)
“LORDOFSPIES” – Shakespeare’s lost years are explained, revealed, the lost queen of England, the fair youth, all in the shadow of one man Robert Poley. The son of Stratford upon Avon who became the spy. The book started as a research and ended with a ghost of three men; two like beacons in the night and one like a shadow. This is an ebook about the famous poet William Shakespeare’s missing seven years, the secret identity, and why he chose to be in shadows. It will explain all the contradictions in his life.
Wolf Garden was released last month and is available on digital and On Demand. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
In today’s movie news, there is a new horror/thriller movie out: Wolf Garden. Directed by Wayne David, it stars Wayne David, Sian Altman, Grant Masters, and Jake Wood. It is available for streaming on Amazon Video and Vudu on Roku. (October Coast, 2023)
Wolf Garden– William has gone into hiding in the countryside following horrifically violent events. Struggling to come to terms with reality, he flashes between past, present, and fantasies involving the woman he loves, Chantelle. As his sanity crumbles and he continues to feed an unseen creature locked inside a shed in the woods, he begins having apparitions of a ghostly Visitor who pushes him to kill the creature and discover a terrible truth about Chantelle before the next full moon.
Jessica Medina blends merengue and salsa in her new single Locura, available now for streaming. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
Jessica Medina is a singer-songwriter born in New York to a Dominican mother and Puerto Rican father. Their voices were the soundtrack of her formative years. She studied jazz and rights at Hunter College in New York City and she was influenced from a very young age by merengue, specifically the merengue sounds of the 80s. By having the musical wealth of two cultures, her sound is a mixture of both. (Vesper Public Relations, 2023)
Jessica Medina broke barriers with her previous single “Back to Black,” an exemplary song by Amy Winehouse, approached from a completely new style. NPR regards her as “a new artist that you cannot stop listening to.” Constantly taking risks, she breaks barriers that the music industry imposes on language, offering bilingual lyrics and attracting the new generation called “Latinx,” Latinos raised in the United States.
Her new single Locura is now available for streaming. She once again demonstrates her passion for fusions, this time bringing together the rhythms of merengue and electronic synths with samba. Locura is part of her upcoming EP entitled Rosa, which will be released this April. In this EP she dives deeper into her Dominican and Puerto Rican roots and the different types of love from a woman’s perspective. Rosa is a project which includes women in all aspects, such as compositions, musicians, visual arts, musical arrangements, and production. Merengue is having a resurgence and Jessica Medina has decided to celebrate love with this romantic merengue.
Locura depicts an empowered woman with passion, sensuality, and joy. This track will make us all dance and celebrate love. Locura translates as craziness and captures that period of infatuation we all know. “Let’s start the year dancing merengue and being crazy in love.” Award-winning composer Alex Cuba composed Locura with musical arrangements and production by Janina Rosado. It was recorded in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Dr. Ife Akanegbu has written a series of books for children focusing on promoting positive mental health. Photo: Google
Ife Akanegbu has always had a lifelong passion for telling stories. He completed his medical training in Nigeria before achieving a Master’s in Health Management at the University of Leeds. Upon observing the alarming rise in depression, anxiety, and self-harm rates, he felt compelled to take action and he knew his gift for storytelling could make a difference. That is when he combined this talent with his more than fifteen years of medical expertise to create Motivating Our Champions, a game-changing children’s book series designed to help our precious little ones take good care of their mental health. The books in the series include “My Grandpa Is A Hero,” “Janel’s Struggle,” and “Lila And The New Bully.” (Ife Akanegbu, 2023)
Ife’s charming life story is full of inspiration, adventure, and compassion. In fact, he has mastered the art of captivating storytelling by sharing his experiences with others. Ultimately, this motivated him to use his skill to impact current mental health trends, an issue that concerns him deeply.
“My Grandpa Is A Hero”– Tyler spends all his free time in his room playing video games and does not even want to join the family for dinners. His siblings come to the table and play on their devices all through mealtime. Grandpa is staying with the family and is not happy with the lack of interest the kids have in being part of the family. Grandpa decides to do something about it and finds fun and engaging activities for the kids, they begin to live healthier, more well-rounded lives, and their mental health improves.
“My Grandpa Is A Hero” can teach kids and parents the value of family activities and how it affects the quality of life. Parents learn about setting limits for TV and electronic devices and kids learn they can have fun by not engrossing themselves in their electronics.
Courtesy photo, used with permission.
“Janel’s Struggle”– Janel is going through a tough time because she is overweight and feels she does not fit in. No matter what she does, she cannot lose weight. She is bullied at school and feels she does not have any friends. After many attempts to try to lose weight, it begins to affect her mental health. Janel does not even want to look at herself in the mirror. Only the love and support from her mother helps her find the real reason why she cannot lose weight.
“Janel’s Struggle” will take you and your child through a heartfelt journey of how people’s perception and bullying of an overweight child is harmful to their mental health. It helps parents teach children about mental health as well as accepting who they are and asking for help when they feel something is wrong. It also teaches children how much making fun of someone hurts. “Janel’s Struggle” informs parents that when things are not right, there is not always an obvious answer.
Courtesy photo, used with permission.
“Lila And The New Bully”– Lila’s mother moves her to a new school because Lila is being bullied. On the first day of class, Lila is confronted with the same issue from one of her classmates, Kima. Instead of being discouraged, Lila demonstrates empathy for Kima and wants to be her friend, so she comes up with a plan.
“Lila And The New Bully” will help your child realize that sometimes people are mean because they are hurting inside and their mental health is not good. Lila’s compassion and kindness show kids a positive way to handle someone who is mean to them and the importance of mental health. Sometimes showing love and kindness is better than acting out in a non loving way.
