Quiet Parade‘s French-language debut – an EP titled Nous Étions Icitte – is available today via Acadian Embassy.

Buy the album on Bandcamp or iTunes, and stream the record via Spotify, Apple Music, or your platform of choice.

Nous Étions Icitte features four songs that originally appeared (in English) on the band’s award-winning self-titled album, translated to French.

“I wanted this record to be an artifact that represented a very specific slice of Acadian life in Nova Scotia,” Quiet Parade songsmith Trevor Murphy tells Noreaster Online. “I wanted it to speak about and represent Par-en-Bas (a geographical region that encompasses several Acadian communities around Yarmouth, NS) in a way I had not heard before and create something that represented our voice for once.”

This week, Murphy also stopped by Radio-Canada’s Le Réveil for an interview to chat about the origins of Nous Étions Icitte. Listen to the segment here: http://bit.ly/QP-RadioCanada

The band celebrates the release of the new album with an early show at The Carleton tonight featuring special guest Gabrielle Papillon. 7pm-9pm, $10 at the door. RSVP here: https://www.facebook.com/events/548479768844901/

The show is co-presented by Acadian Embassy & le Conseil communautaire du Grand-Havre – CCGH.

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Quiet Parade lance son premier album en français – en EP nommé Nous Étions Icitte – aujourd’hui. Le mini-album est disponible via Acadian Embassy.

Achetez l’album sur Bandcamp or iTunes, et écoutez-le via Spotify, Apple Music, ou sur votre platforme de choix.

Nous Étions Icitte reprend quatre chansons originales (anglophones) extraites du disque homonyme et primé du groupe, traduites en français.

« Je voulais que ce disque soit un artefact qui représentait une tranche très spécifique de la vie acadienne en Nouvelle-Écosse, » dit Trevor Murphy, auteur-compositeur pour Quiet Parade en entrevue avec Noreaster Online. « Je voulais parler et représenter Par-en-Bas (une région géographique qui englobe plusieurs communautés acadiennes autour de Yarmouth, en Nouvelle-Écosse) d’une manière que je n’avais jamais entendue auparavant et créer quelque chose qui représentait notre voix pour une fois. »

Cette semaine, Murphy s’est presenté sur l’émission Le Réveil sur les ondes de Radio-Canada pour une entrevue afin de discuter les origines de Nous Étions Icitte. Écoutez le segment ici: http://bit.ly/QP-RadioCanada

Le groupe célèbre la sortie du nouvel album avec un lancement au Carleton ce soir avec l’invitée spécial, Gabrielle Papillon. 19h-21h, 10 $ à la porte. RSVP ici: https://www.facebook.com/events/548479768844901/

Le lancement est co-présenté par Acadian Embassy et le Conseil communautaire du Grand-Havre – CCGH.

Listen to the scorching new single, “Crystal Mountains,“ on Spotify and Apple Music, or watch the official video on YouTube.

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After six years, Sleepless Nights are back. Their brand new EP, Keith Hamilton, is available via Acadian Embassy and Forward Music Group on Friday, September 15. The band embarks on a series of tour dates throughout Eastern Canada in its support. Dates are as follows:

September 14 – Fredericton, NB @ The Capital (Harvest Jazz & Blues)
September 15 – Yarmouth, NS @ The Red Knight
September 16 – Halifax, NS @ The Seahorse Tavern (early show!)

In the mid-aughts, Sleepless Nights carved out their reputation as one of the hardest working bands on the East Coast of Canada. By their final tours in 2009, when the group was put on indefinite hiatus, Sleepless Nights were playing an entire new, unreleased set of songs. There was a miffed attempt at capturing them in 2011, but no recordings were ever completed.

In June 2016, approaching the 10-year anniversary of their breakout EP, Hang Up, Sleepless Nights reconvened for a weekend of recording in Toronto at Taurus Recording with Thomas D’Arcy (Small Sins/The Ladies and Gentlemen, k-os) to archive four of those songs. With former member Matt MacDonald (The Superfantastics) joining them in studio, the band recorded Keith Hamilton – an EP that chronicles the now seasoned musicians returning to their roots.

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About Keith Hamilton…

Since the first Sleepless Nights release in 2004, there have been two constants in the band: the steadfast artistic vision and direction of Aaron Wallace, and a gentleman named Keith Hamilton.

A fixture in the Toronto music scene, Hamilton booked the Halifax band’s first ever show outside of the Maritimes. Through the years, Sleepless Nights toured with several of Hamilton’s acts. Four in fact: The Postage Stamps, The Diableros, Hamilton Tradition Company, and Beams. He has been there from the beginning, and has tirelessly stuck by the band as a booker, a musician, an actor, and a friend.

“Keith is our undeserved secret weapon. He’s our Bez. He’s the DJ Khaled of indie rock. He’s a fashion icon to future generations,” says Wallace.

“He is the unofficial twenty-second member of the band. No question,” adds Josh “Pinky” Pothier, the group’s drummer, jokingly referring to the sheer number of members the band has had over time.

Over 13 years, much has changed about Sleepless Nights. Musical styles, members, and formations, but never Keith Hamilton.

It seemed apt, then, that on what feels like a return to their musical foundation – dialed up, commanding pop rock – the band should pay homage to the other persistent thread that has followed them through their career.

Plus, who doesn’t love Keith?

Rain Over St. Ambrose continues to make big strides with on SiriusXM’s The Verge. Their single, “Broken Love,“ comes in at #11 on the station’s Top 40 year-end list. Beginning on Wednesday, December 14, The Verge will count down the 40 biggest Canadian songs played on the channel this year on multiple occasions. For a full list of broadcast dates visit: http://www.siriusxm.ca/verge-the-40-2016

“Broken Love” spent four weeks on The Verge’s Top 10 chart this fall, and hit the Canada: Alternative Rock Top 50 commercial radio charts twice during this period.

Rain Over St. Ambrose performs in Yarmouth, NS on December 26, 2016, headlining the Annual Acadian Embassy Boxing Day Bash.

Nova Scotia Music Week 2016 is right around the corner, and this year Acadian Embassy is inviting you to take a chance on the underdog.

Both Quiet Parade and Rain Over St. Ambrose perform in Truro, NS on Saturday, November 5th.

OFFICIAL EMBASSY SHOWCASES:
Quiet Parade – 9:00pm – Holiday Inn – Elm/Oak Ballroom
Rain Over St. Ambrose – 1:30am – Belly Up BBQ & Grill

Quiet Parade is up for two Nova Scotia Music Awards this year, receiving nominations for Group Recording of the Year and Alternative Recording of the Year.

Acadian Embassy’s Trevor Murphy also picked up Industry Award nominations for Industry Professional of the Year and Manager of the Year.

Rain Over St. Ambrose’s single “Broken Love” recently cracked the Top 50 Canada: Alternative Rock Charts. See the full chart HERE. The song also spent four weeks on The Grocery List, a Top 10 Countdown on SiriusXM‘s The Verge.

These sweet limited edition Rain Over St. Ambrose t-shirts and tank tops are now available in the Acadian Embassy store. Limited quantities and sizes are available, so don’t delay! Get yours HERE.

Rain Over St. Ambrose has recently returned to Yarmouth following a quick Eastern Canadian tour. While in Toronto, the band taped a special session for SiriusXM‘s The Verge. Stayed tuned for that. The debut single from Still Waking Up, “Broken Love,“ continues to climb The Verge‘s The Grocery List Top 10 charts, coming in at #6 this week.

Listen to The Grocery List on SiriusXM 173 on Saturdays at 4pm & 10pm ET, Sundays at 6pm ET, Mondays at 8pm ET, or Thursdays at 7pm ET.

Fuelled by distance and nostalgia, The Parish Choir is a recording project helmed by Trevor Murphy (Quiet Parade/Dance Movie) and newcomer Becky Murray. Their debut self-titled single is built on a foundation of experimentation, creative re-interpretation, and deep-seeded appreciation for late 90s CanCon.

The two tracks – covers of Matthew Good Band’s “Running From Home” and David Usher’s “St. Lawrence River” – were stripped bare at the outset, moulded around darkened, down-tuned acoustics. The approach allowed the duo to rebuild the tracks in the moment, while championing a renewed focus on the lyrical content of the originals.

Recorded at the renowned Echo Chamber studio in Halifax, NS with Palmer Jamieson (Beauts/Night Surf), the selections chosen by The Parish Choir capture particular themes: the solitude of winter, the persistent chase towards uncertainty, the haunting pangs of regret. “I always thought I’d make it up to you,” the duo sings on the B-Side.

It is here, amidst this melancholic and somber atmosphere the Parish Choir recordings bend towards beauty. A glance into the vapours of the past, mired in the haze of mistakes, memories, and unrelenting rurality.

The Parish Choir’s self-titled debut (AE021) is available today as a free download in the Acadian Embassy store.