Toronto Experimental Artists

TEA Volume 14 artist Katelyn Dawn makes the top 16 on Canadian Idol.  Read Katelyn's interview on TEA on 148.ca with Phillip Hong. You can check out videos of Katelyn on Canadian Idol and CTV below...

Katelyn Dawn - She Talks to Angels (CTV)

Katelyn Dawn - CTV Spotlight (CTV)

What has Katelyn been doing since Canadian Idol? - Katelyn recently released her 2nd album, 'The Window'. The new album, produced by Chris Burke-Gaffney (Chantal Kreviazuk) & Dale Penner (Nickelback) combines an organic sunny roots-pop sound, with hummable melodies and jangly hooks. We are very proud of Katelyn here at TEA and we will continue to bring awareness to her many talents. She performed a passionate acoustic driven set at the TEA Summer Showcase on Saturday July 18, 2009 at the Rivoli. Katelyn has recently signed to USA Records LLC, a Beverly Hills, California based production company. We would like to congratulate Katelyn and her management on Katelyn's latest signing and tour. We are thrilled to have Katelyn back on the TEA Volume 14 Compilation CD which is being released on January 14, 2010. Her track "When the Coffee's Cold" will be featured on TEA Volume 14 along with many other talented TEA Artists.

Here is a recent update from Katelyn herself...How’s it going everyone? I know it’s been sooooo long since I’ve written you guys but I thought I would give everyone an update! Things are going so well for me in Toronto!! I've only been here like 12 months and I already have a bunch of new developments! There is a producer from the states who has moved to Toronto, he has actually lived in Paris, London, New York, LA, Miami, so he has a good grasp on the different markets, and he has worked with K-os, toured with JLO, Beyonce & JayZ, check him out! Stevano UGO. He wants to work with me on developing a cool new sound, and produce a remix for When the Coffee’s Cold! Listen to Katelyn Dawn

Popularity: 100%

TEA Volume 12 compilation artists Versus the Nothing dive down deep and surface with driving melodic magic. There’s something about Nothing….. The unabashed, melodic, hard rock band, Versus the Nothing is a quintet that focuses on writing solid songs with tight, energetic performances. Their music combines heavy guitars, with powerful, melodic vocals that are propelled by driving rhythms and anthemic choruses. Clean, quiet moments swell into raging guitars, punctuated by short blasts of screamo gang vocals as they rise into crashing sing-along choruses. Accented by hopeful lyrics, with a sense of desperation that melds into cries from a damaged, disaffected, suburbanite youth. Their namesake draws upon that same energy, inspired by The Neverending Story, where an evil force called The Nothing tries to take over everything in existence. It’s a journey from pain to joy; a story that encourages us to believe that happiness is achievable even in the most dire of circumstances.” The guys couldn’t find a better name to represent their music if they tried. Versus the Nothing independently released their debut album “Let it all Come Down” in 2008, with the track “Bleed the Ocean” quickly being snapped up by Mazda for an online campaign. They soon caught the attention of the Canadian Music Industry, leading them to a coveted Top 5 winner in the esteemed Vancouver CFOX 2008 Seeds contest (responsible for helping break some of the biggest bands on the rock scene such as Nickelback, Default, Theory of a Deadman, and Art of Dying). The album’s title track “Let it all Come Down” has been getting steady spins at Canadian radio ever since, in addition to spins on American stations WLIX 104.5fm, Indie 104fm, KERX 95.3fm, WAMX 106.3fm, WEGW 107.5fm, and WHBR 103.1fm. Non-stop gigging and a tireless work ethic have transformed Vancouver’s Versus the Nothing into one of the new rock acts to emerge out of Western Canada. Their goal is a modest one, one that reflects the true essence and sincerity of their music; to get on the road, tour non-stop, and be heard by as many new people as possible. They’re creating a unique future for themselves, carving a path that’s full of opportunities for such a young group. The book is wide open for Versus the Nothing, and their neverending story has only just begun. Versus the Nothing are: Ross Archibald – Vocals Jason Scannell – Bass Chris Shaw – Guitar, Vocal Jacob Wyman – Drums, Vocals Ande Otte – Guitar, Vocals.

VANCOUVER, Tuesday, January 12, 2010 – Vancouver’s hard rock quintet VERSUS THE NOTHING’s single “Let It All Come Down” is featured on SEGA® Europe Ltd. ‘ soundtrack for Vancouver 2010™ - the Official Video Game of the Olympic Winter Games.

Listen to Versus the Nothing

Popularity: 81%

TEA Volume 9 Compilaiton artists Au4 began their journey as brothers and ended up on a life long musical journey. For brothers Ben, Aaron and Nathan Wylie and their friend Jason Nickel, music has always been a constant in their lives. Vancouver-based electronic ensemble Au4 (pronounced: oh-four), have created a debut album that explores and celebrates the other endless forces that shape and bind us. On Audio, the groups new full-length release, is an uplifting, ethereal trip through the rhythms of nature and the nature of dreams, mixing blissed-out ambiance with melodic, fairytale songs. Ben Wylie (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Aaron Wylie (keyboards, vocals), Nathan Wylie (drums, percussion) and Jason Nickel (bass, vocals, keyboards) grew up on music, each starting Royal Conservatory training at a young age. In high school, the boys formed the requisite alternative rock bands, while continuing their musical study and touring in jazz, choir and theatrical productions. Jason and Nathan attended Capilano Colleges Jazz Studies program, while Ben and Aaron began experimenting with the electronic loops and beats which would later morph into Au4.

Inspired in part by the electronica explosion, and landmark albums by Underworld, Massive Attack, Bjork, and Nine Inch Nails, Ben and Aaron (who was also DJing in Vancouver clubs) started writing with new tools, layering and shaping sounds late into the night. In 2003, Jason Nickel heard their demos and brought them to producer/engineer Richard Dolmat. The group Au4 was officially formed along with Nathan Wylie their brother.

"On: Audio" was produced by Au4 and Richard Dolmat at Digital Sound Magic studios in Vancouver and is released on their own label, Torn Open Records. The nine tracks draw from trip-hop, ambient and dreampop styles, featuring the breathy, haunting vocals of Ben Wylie, who also scripted the fantastical stories of love and life.     Listen to Au4

Popularity: 60%

TEA Volume 2 & 3 compilation artist and TEA Showcase performer Andrew Spice sounds like no one else. Perhaps it was the immersion in classical music studies while growing up in the seclusion of Headingley, Manitoba; absorbing the beats and bravery of artists like Radiohead, Tori Amos, Nine Inch Nails, and Massive Attack. The result is a brilliant new songwriter who, with only a piano and his voice, emotes a timeless quality unmatched in some of the most accomplished singer-songwriters.

After catching the ear of indie legend Emm Gryner with a demo recorded in his basement, Andrew immediately headed to the studio to work on his debut album. Produced entirely by Gryner and released on her Dead Daisy Records label, Pretty Demons came out to immediate critical raves. NOW magazine described Andrew as a "prodigy"; Chart Attack said his songs were "so genuine it breaks your heart", and the Toronto Star called the album a "profound statement... a finger on our collective hearts". Pretty Demons was nominated for an OutMusic Award for Best Debut Album, prompting performances in New York alongside fellow nominees Catie Curtis, Junior Senior, and Rufus Wainwright.

Since moving to Toronto just last year, Andrew has quietly but surely made a name for himself. He has shared the stage with both independent artists such as Gentleman Reg, Jason Collett, Dayna Manning, and Nathan Lawr; and with Canadian stars like Gryner, Sarah Slean, Ron Sexsmith, and Jann Arden. His live show was given a four-star review by Toronto's NOW Magazine, which described his music as "profound". He has been featured twice on the Toronto Experimental Artists compilation Volumes 2 and 3. Check out TEA Showcase Review in the Toronto Star.     Listen to Andrew Spice

Popularity: 37%

TEA Volume 11 compilation artists Karmetik Underground can best be summed up as Live ElectroOrganic Tribal Groove Fusion. Sonically combining the east, the west, the above and the below, the Karmetik Underground is religiously infusing packed dance floors with live instrumental fusion. Karmetik cleverly creates an ethnically diverse musical tapestry, often incorporating traditional instruments from India with state of the art synthesizers, samplers, and sequencers. A sound influenced by Talvin Singh, Phish, Ravi Shankar, Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Fela Kuti, Thievery Corporation, The Chemical Brothers and Sound Tribe Sector Nine to name a few. As part of the creative process, songs are conceived from within the emotional spectrum and given life through a hybrid medium of electrorganic sounds. Allowing the listener to fully explore their musical mind and body while getting down and dirty doin’ it.

As all the members are coming from different backgrounds, each bring their own influence to create a sound that sets an emotional atmosphere. The rhythm section consists of a dynamic duo that taps into an electro-tribal infused groove. The melody makers are gliding over top of the beat using harmonies produced by guitar and synthesized astro-phonics.

Included within this western approach to making music the KarmetiK Underground has great respect for North Indian Classical Music. All members have studied under masters in India, bringing back their eastern influence to fuse with worldly organic dance music. Instruments such as Sitar, Tabla and Santoor are commonly integrated into the performance bringing a sense of culture to the dance floor. Check out Karmetik's latest video.    

Listen to Karmetik Underground

Popularity: 28%

TEA Volume 2 compilation artists and showcase performers Martha's Trouble stick to the road and their incredible live shows. The married duo have recently released a Christmas release and received rave reviews from many sources including...Billboard critics choice top 10 in 2006 and a feature interview in Lee Magazine (Jen's Song) This is a very inspiring interview and highlights the bands long and successful journey. An excerpt from the interview is below...When Jen returned to Houston after her one-year commitment, she knew music was her calling. In 1995 she was booking bands for a coffee house, when her future walked through the door. Rob had just returned from Richmond, Va., where a band he was in had fizzled. He was back in Houston, where his parents lived at the time, to regroup. And once again, he was looking for a band. A friend introduced the two, knowing of their common musical interests, but for Rob, something unexpected happened. Standing in the coffee house, he told his friend: “I’m going to marry that girl one day.”

Martha's Trouble are currently touring and playing shows in both Canada and the United States. Being dual citizens enables them to enjoy the ease of travel between the two nations.  Their live shows are sonically amazing and captivating as you can witness by viewing the Red Deer live performance link below. A new CD is in the works and all other Martha's Trouble CD's are at an amazing discount of $5.00 per CD. You can check out their large discography right here.

Check out radio live performance - Red Deer

Listen to Marthas Troubles

Popularity: 31%

Two intrepid songwriters, Bill Oliver and Mark Branscombe, living in East Vancouver got together after a lengthy absence to rekindle the creative stew and come up with some new songs. The spark appeared and this offering is what manifested after several months of stray thoughts in morning traffic, re-writes, divine inspirational moments and the circulation of cool new creative juices. Their intent and vision was to create songs that meandered through genres and sounds of pop music that had inspired and excited them to begin playing music as kids. A chance meeting with producer P.D Wohl and a few happy experiments proved to be fateful in allowing their muse to be channeled into their collection of songs .

The Ormidales have released two CD’s, The self titled "The Ormidales" and their new release "These Little Dreams". They have both been well received and receive airplay throughout Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania and Asia. They were recently featured on the popular radio shows George Noory’s Coast To Coast and Erskine Overnight which resulted in airplay in every state and across Canada. Their music will appear in an upcoming reality series distributed by Extreme Entertainment, produced by Greg Donis (Ann Murray Story and Bryan Adams Juno Tribute).They are presently nominated for song of the year with Radio Six International with their infectious “What Am I Supposed To Do” The Ormidales offer a unique sound that results from their love for multi genre music and the refusal to be boxed into one style .

Listen to The Ormidales

Popularity: 1%