Sparks Music

The Days Of Blinding Fear Is Here

We've been busy gearing up for the "official" release of the new Tin Star Orphans disc, entitled, The Days of Blinding Fear,. It's available digitally today on iTunes and of course on the Sparks Music store! If you purchase from the band's website or from our store, we'll throw in an exclusive bonus track and a deluxe digital booklet - both of which cannot be found anywhere else! Not a bad deal for $8.00.

You'll be able to pick up the physical version in all it's glory starting Tuesday, September 21st. If you're in the Toronto area, look for a series of shows coming this September and October. The band will be celebrating with a CD Release show on September 17th at The Rivoli.

You can always stream the album free at: http://thedaysofblindingfear.com and come join us at the following TSO shows:

September 17 @ The Rivoli, Toronto, ON
September 22 @ Supermarket, Toronto, ON
October 5 @ The Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto, ON
October 14 @ The Rivoli, Toronto, ON - Indie Music Week

Chin Plays A Role in Eminem’s Road to Recovery

In 2009 singer/songwriter/producer Chin Injeti found himself amongst some impressive company having worked on and co-produced tracks for the Clipse, 50 Cent, and Drake.

Chin continues in 2010 to collaborate with superstar artists having just worked on the new Eminem record, "Recovery" releasing this week, June 22nd. On "Recovery", Chin found himself sharing writing and performance credits on the tracks "Almost Famous" as well as co-production on "Talkin' 2 Myself" featuring Kobe, both produced by his L.A. based production partner DJ Khalil.

Adding to this, Chin's group The New Royales (along with DJ Khalil, Liz Rodrigues and Erik Alcock) also made major contributions with production, performing and writing on two other Eminem's songs: "25 to Life" and "Won't Back Down" featuring Pink.

Alongside his increasing profile as a songwriter and producer, Chin continues his solo career as an artist with the release of his own album D'tach (which was released on April 6, 2010 via Sparks/EMI). D'tach features some big names of it's own with a guest appearance by K'Naan on the song "Mask on my Face". Check out the album, visit the Chin's artist page for more info and to listen to the album.

Lots To See At NXNE

Sparks Music will be busy this weekend as both Birds Of Wales and Chin will be performing at this year's NXNE Music Festival. You can catch Birds Of Wales at The Supermarket on Friday, June 18 @ 10pm. Then on Sunday June 20, make your way over to Yonge-Dundas Square to see Chin and De La Soul. show starts at 5pm and it's free.

Birds of Wales New Music Video & Tour!
Birds of Wales are excited to announce their brand new music video for the single, "Uninteresting", as well as a Ontario mini tour, supporting their new album, Belgravia Hotel. The new album is now available in record shops and online and of course, you can pick up a copy directly from us right from our store

Without further delay, here's is the new music video for "Uninteresting", directed by Remi Rybicki.

BOW Tour Dates!
May 12th @ The Casbah, Hamilton
May 13th @ Red Hot Chilli Peppers, St. Catharines
May 14th @ Maxwells Music House, Waterloo
May 18th @ The Townhouse, Sudbury
May 19th @ Victory Tavern, Timmins
May 20th @ The Garrison, Toronto
May 21st @ Merchant Tap House, Kingston
May 22nd @ Cafe Dekcuf, Ottawa

Listen To The New Tin Star Orphans Album
You can now listen to the entire new Tin Star Orphans album online! Visit www.thedaysofblindingfear.com to check out the new songs. Take note that the band will be performing these new songs at The Horseshoe Tavern on Tuesday May 15th at 9pm. Join Tin Star Orphans for the "Limited Edition" release of their sophomore album! You'll be able to purchase these special exclusive Cds at the show. It's only $10.00 to attend. For more information, visit the TSO's Facebook Event Page.
Hope to see you there.

Belgravia Hotel In Stores Today
Belgravia Hotel, the long awaited new album from Birds Of Wales is out today. You can order the CD for $10 or download a digital album for $8 directly from Sparks. As an added value, our version includes a digital booklet and our MP3s are high quality DRM-free 320kbps. In fact, if you order the CD, you instantly receive a link to the digital download. Visit our Store Page to order.

As Morgan, the lead singer from Birds of Wales explains in the video below, you can also purchase from these other fine retailers - iTunes, Zunior and MapleMusic or wherever you buy music.

D'Tach In Stores Today
The wait is over, CHIN's latest CD "D'tach" was officially released today. You can pick up a CD for $10 or download a digital album for $8 directly from Sparks. As an added value, our version includes a FREE bonus track - a remix of "Mask On My Face" + a digital booklet. In fact, if you order the CD, you instantly receive the download. Visit our Store Page to order. Alternately, you can also purchase from these other fine retailers - iTunes, Zunior and MapleMusic or wherever you buy music.

You can also see CHIN perform this month as follows:
April 06 @ Fortune Sound Club, Vancouver, BC -"CD Release Party"
April 16 @ The Junction, St. John's, NL - JunoFest
April 21 @ The Drake, Toronto, ON

CHIN Album Release & Birthday Party
Join us on Tuesday April 6th at Fortune Sound Club (147 East Pender Street) in Vancouver's Chinatown district to celebrate the release of CHIN's new album. CHIN will kick off the evening with a live performance, which you will not want to miss. Tickets are only $8.00 and $15.00 gets you into the party and a copy of D'Tach, the new CHIN CD.

Birds Of Wales On Tour With Dragonette
What perfect timing. Just as Birds Of Wales are getting ready to release their long awaited new album, Belgravia Hotel (coming April 13), we are happy to announce an Ontario tour with Dragonette at the end of March and one show in Sarnia, ON with 54 40. Check out the dates below and see you at the upcoming shows!

Birds of Wales Ontario Tour Dates
March 25 @ Starlight Room, Waterloo, ON **
March 26 @ Studio Theatre, Hamilton, ON **
March 27 @ Industry Theatre, Sarnia, ON *
March 28 @ Issac's Pub, St. Catharines, ON **
March 31 @ The Ale House, Kingston, ON **
April 01 @ Babylon, Ottawa, ON **
April 03 @ Call The Office, London, ON **
* w/ 54 40
** w/ Dragonette

Plenty To See At CMW This Year
Sparks is pleased to announce that Birds Of Wales, CHIN and Tin Star Orphans will be showcasing at this year Canadian Music Week. This will be your chance to hear some brand new tunes from all three acts. Both Birds of Wales and CHIN will be releasing new albums in early April and a new TSO album is expected in the late summer/fall. See you there!!!

Upcoming Sparks Music/CMW Shows:
TIN STAR ORPHANS - Wednesday March 10th Cadillac Lounge (12am) - find tickets
BIRDS OF WALES - Friday March 12th @ Supermarket (11pm) - find tickets
CHIN - Friday March 12th @ Mitzi's Sister (12am) and Saturday March 13th @ Czehoski (10pm) - find tickets

Chin Gets Grounded In Vancouver
Chin performs on the streets of Vancouver for GROUNDED TV. It's a raw and emotional performance shot just across the street from his studio space on Hastings St.

Birds Of Wales Take Flight
Sparks Music is proud to announce a worldwide licensing deal with Toronto based act Birds Of Wales. Their debut album entitled Belgravia Hotel will be released in Canada on April 13 through Sparks/EMI. The album was produced by Jeff Dawson (Daniel Powter), mixed by Jeff Dawson, Mike Fraser (Aerosmith, Franz Ferdinand) and Mike Gilles (Bryan Adams, Metallica).

Additionally, Birds of Wales have just been confirmed as the opening act for Jully Black's upcoming Canadian tour! Birds Of Wales's line up consists of singer/songwriter Morgan Cameron Ross, guitarist Mike Caputo, drummer Ben Standage and basset Dan Taylor. For more information, visit www.birdsofwales.com

Upcoming Tour Dates with Jully Black:
Feb. 21 – Vancouver, BC – Railway Club (Birds Of Wales only)
Feb. 25 - Canmore, AB - Cornerstone Theatre
Feb. 26 - Edmonton, AB – The Starlite
Feb. 27 - Calgary, AB - MacEwan Ballroom
Feb. 28 - Saskatoon, SK - Odeon Events Centre Tues.
Mar. 02 - Winnipeg, MB - The Garrick
Mar. 09 - Kitchener, ON - Conrad Centre
Mar. 10 - Niagara Falls, ON - Greg Ferwin Theatre
Mar. 12 - London, ON - The Music Hall
Mar. 13 - Toronto, ON - The Great Hall
Mar. 18 - Ottawa, ON - Centrepoint Theatre
Mar. 19 - Belleville, ON - Empire Theatre
Mar. 20 - Hamilton, ON - Studio Theatre
Mar. 27 - Halifax, NS - Halifax Casino
Mar. 28 - Sydney, NS - Membertou Convention Centre
Mar. 30 - Saint John, NB - Imperial Theatre
Mar. 31- Fredericton, NB - The Playhouse Theatre

Chin ends 09 With Big Tracks For 50 Cent and The Clipse!
The Clipse, Kanye West, 50 Cent and Drake - what do all of these rap stars have in common besides selling millions of records?
In 2009 each one of these artists had tracks featuring production from Vancouver-based producer Chin Injeti! Along with his production partner DJ Khalil, CHIN co-produced The Clipse's first single *"Kinda Like a Big Deal" *featuring* Kanye West *and* "There Was A Murder". Just weeks before that, CHIN landed co-production credits on 50 Cent's latest platinum record *Before I Self Destruct *with the track *"Could've Been You", featuring R.Kelly.
That's not all either, earlier in September CHIN shared co-production credits with DJ Khalil on a song called "Fear" *by fellow Canadian and recent Grammy nominee, Drake, off his *So Far Gone" EP.
With all this momentum CHIN shows no signs of slowing down in 2010. Along with more production work CHIN will be releasing his own solo project, D'Tach this March. CHIN's first single "Mask on my Face" (featuring K'Naan) is available for free download via his website - www.chinschunes.com.

CHIN Signs with Sparks Music!
Sparks Music is pleased to announce the signing of CHIN who co-founded the groundbreaking and award winning Toronto band BASS IS BASE. CHIN in recent times has been bouncing back and forth between his home in Vancouver and L.A., where he has been writing and producing with the likes of Dr Dre,
Busta Rhymes, Clipse and Kinnie Starr...to name a few.
His new solo project D'TACH will be released through Sparks/EMI in March 2010. The first single "Mask On My Face" features K'naan and is available as a free download directly from CHIN's new website - www.chinschunes.com

Spiral Beach On MTV Live
Head on over to MTV (888 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON) on Monday, December 14th @ 5:3pm to be part of the live audience to cheer on Spiral Beach. The band will be dropping into the MTV studios to perform a few tracks from their brand new album, The Only Really Thing. For FREE TICKETS simply send a request to emailliveaudience@mtv.ca or call the number listed on the poster below.

The Lovely Feathers Featured on Musique Plus
Our friends at Musique Plus are showing The Lovely Feathers some Quebec love - the band's video for Lowiza is featured on their new website today. Do us a favor and give the video the "thumbs up" at www.musiqueplus.com

Spiral Beach Take Flight To Ireland
Since the September 22nd release of their new album The Only Really Thing – Spiral Beach have been a very busy young band indeed!
Having just drifted off of a tour with Two Hours Traffic, danced barefoot at the TIFF Canadian Cafe showcase and crashed though a high-energy set at Arlene's Grocery at CMJ, Spiral Beach are ready to continue the insanity!
November will see the band touring Ireland with Sparks Music label mates and Irish hitmakers FRED. Then after a quick stop-over for a yet to be announced U.K. show, they are off to Germany to play the on3radio Festival in Germany! Check out the complete list of dates on our tour page.
In December before they close out the year, Spiral Beach will launch a new video for their first radio single "May Go Round (in a mania)" and are sure to announce another one of their self promoted, circus-like all night parties in Toronto.

CMJ Here We Come
Spiral Beach and The Lovely Feathers are in New York City this week showcasing at CMJ. If you're visiting NY, live in the neighborhood and wish to cheer on your fellow Canadians, make your way over to Arlene's Grocery (95 Stanton St.) tonight at 9pm.
Then on Friday evening, head on over to Fat Baby (112 Rivington St.) to check out The Lovely Feathers. The band is on at 7:45pm sharp.
We're not done yet. How about a digital sampler featuring 41 FREE songs from Canadian artists who are performing at this year's CMJ (includes tracks from both Spiral Beach and The Lovely Feathers). Follow this link to download your free sampler.

Spiral Beach In Store This Friday
Come join Spiral Beach at Sonic Boom (located at 512 Bloor St. West) for a FREE in-store performance tomorrow - Friday October 16 @ 7pm sharp. Then make your way across the street to Lee's Palace to see the full show with The Danks and Two Hours Traffic. Tickets for the show are only $15.00 and can be purchased at the door.

Video Of The Day On Spinner.com
Domino, the latest video from Spiral Beach is today's featured "Video of the Day" on AOL Spinner! Check it out.

Get 5 Free Spiral Beach Tracks
ExploreMusic.ca is giving away one song a day from soon to be released Spiral Beach release, The Only Really Thing all this week for free! Check it out at www.Exploremusic.ca

Vote for The Lovely Feathers on MTVu
Help out The Lovely Feathers by voting for their video on mtvU. Vote for Lowiza and feel better about yourself knowing you participated. Click here to VOTE NOW!

TSO Live At Yonge And Dundas
Tin Star Orphans will be appearing live at Yonge and Dundas Square (Friday Sept 11, at 6pm) in celebration of TIFF and in support the theatrical release of, Suck. The film, which makes use of TSO's single, Let You Down, stars Malcolm McDowell and Dave Foley and includes onscreen appearances by such musical luminaries as Iggy Pop, Alice Cooper, Henry Rollins and Moby (to name a few). Also appearing will be LA's Burning Brides and Toronto's own, Blue Peter.

Spiral Beach Announce New Album and National Tour
Spiral Beach will be releasing their latest effort The Only Really Thing on September 22 both in Canada (Sparks/EMI) and in the U.S. (Sparks/Tommy Boy). This new album was produced by Michael Olsen, of The Hidden Cameras and The Arcade Fire.
A pre-sale campaign will be set up on the band's website that will include CD and vinyl versions of the album plus various additional items created by the band including a comic book created by Maddy Wilde, photo album and handwritten lyric book and t-shirts.
The band has also just confirmed the opening slot for Two Hours Traffic's Canadian tour that starts in mid September. Before they head out on the road with Two Hours Traffic, the band has been selected to perform at The Music Café at this year's TIFF festival.
Spiral Beach is constantly pushing the boundaries of contemporary music. With The Only Really Thing, this daring and exhilarating band's appeal is ready to take over new territory.

Lowiza Is Too Hot For TV
The Lovely Feathers made two versions of the video for "Lowiza," and one was a little too steamy for TV and all-ages sites but just right for Playboy.com, which are premiering this "too hot for tv" version in its unedited glory. Check it out.

Spiral Beach To Perform At TIFF
It's official, Spiral Beach have been invited to perform at this year's Canadian Music Cafe, taking place September 15th to 17th, which runs in conjunction with the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival.

You can check out the entire Canadian Music Cafe lineup and find out more about this initiative which showcases Canadian music at ChartAttack.com

The Lovely Feathers MTV Performance Now Online
The Lovely Feathers performance on MTV Live is now available online. Check out live performances of Lowiza, Ossified Homes and Long Walks. Enjoy! Watch it now.

Download The New Spiral Beach Single For Free
Here it is, the very first taste of the new Spiral Beach album! Just follow the link below for a FREE download of “DOMINO”, a new track from the forthcoming new album coming this September.

This song has its’ own website that lets you help spread the word, pass it on to friends, etc - just press SHARE and send the link to your friends on Facebook or MySpace, or by email.

CHECK IT OUT HERE

The Lovely Feathers on MTV
The Lovely Feathers will be performing 3 songs on MTV LIVE on Monday July 13th in Toronto. If you live in Toronto come on down to the Masonic Temple.

The Verge Music Awards
Some great news to share. Spiral Beach have been nominated for Artist Of The Year and Son of Dave's Wild Wild West has been nominated for Album Of The Year for The Verge Music Awards.

This year’s awards will be held at The Mod Club in Toronto, on September 22nd, 2009 and will be broadcast live-to-air across Canada. For more information and to cast your vote online please visit www.thevergeonline.com. Online voting is open until August 31st.

The Lovely Feathers - Victoria, BC Show Change
The Lovely Feathers show in Victoria has been moved to Lucky's Bar instead of Logan's and is now Saturday August 1st instead of the Wednesday July 29th. For our US friends, stay tuned for details as we confirm a series of US shows for the Fall

NXNE Report Cards
Check out CHARTattack's NXNE Report Cards for The Lovely Feathers &Spiral Beach - both bands got high praise for their live shows. Infact, Spiral Beach was picked the #3 best performance with one ofthe highest scores during NXNE 2009.

The Lovely Feathers - http://www.chartattack.com/reviews/71328/the-lovely-feathers-nxne-2009
Spiral Beach - http://www.chartattack.com/reviews/71217/spiral-beach-cmw-2009

CHARTattack's Top 10 list - http://www.chartattack.com/news/71450/band-of-skulls-tops-nxne-2009-report-cards

Power Up Your Cellphones
Attention all Spiral Beach fans - power up your cell phones, video cameras or other photographic gear and come out to film the band at these upcoming Toronto shows this weekend. Your footage may end up in their new video for "DOMINO"!!!

Thursday June 18 - Dundas Square - 6pm
Friday June 19 - Whippersnapper Gallery (587A College) - 7pm
Saturday June 20 - Rolly's Garage (124 Ossington) - 3:45pm / After Party at La Casa Muerte

Tin Star Orphans Triple Play
Tin Star Orphans are going to be up all night at NXNE. The band is playing two late-night sets on two different stages in three hours at NXNE this year. Dubbed, the Extended Last Call Celebration Tour of Queen West.

Two shows are on Thursday, June 18th (though, technically, it’ll be early Friday morning). The band first plays the Cadillac Lounge (1296 Queen St. W.) at 1am and then head down the street to the Horseshoe (368 Queen St. W.) for a 3am set. If that wasn't enough, TSO are also performing at Supermarket (268 Augusta Avenue) on Wednesday June 17th @ 9:30pm.

Fantasy of The Lot Out Today
After many months of anticipation, Sparks Music is pleased to announce the release of Fantasy Of The Lot, the brand new album from The Lovely Feathers. If you haven't yet discovered their unique brand of frantic pop, there's no time like the present.

The Lovely Feathers have also announced a national tour, check the Tour page for all the latest dates and cities near you and also head on over to their new website at www.thelovelyfeathers.com.

The Lovely Feathers Update
Fantasy of the Lot, the brand new album from The Lovely Feathers is coming out on June 2 in Canada and will be released in the US in mid-August. To celebrate, the band is planning a series of shows in Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa next month. Then they head out on a Canadian and US tour during summer and the fall. Stay tuned for the finalized route. In the meantime, the debut single, Lowiza is currently available as a free download on their website, www.thelovelyfeathers.com- get it, share it and enjoy!

Tin Star Orphans Out Today
Tin Star Orphan's new disc is now officially available in Canada. Yonder features string and horn sections, pedal steel, banjo, harmonium, and even a musical saw! This album is a blend of acoustic-driven romps and sonically gripping love songs. "Let You Down" is the current single. Check back soon to view a stunning video for this single.

SLAVE to the SQUAREwave live on CBC Radio
SLAVE to the SQUAREwave will perform live on CBC Radio across Canada on GO! Hosted by Brent Bambury. Tune in on Saturday April 25th at 10:00 A.M. (10:30 in Newfoundland). Listen live via radio or Internet. You can also be part of the live studio audience, get your free tickets at www.cbc.ca/go/tickets.html

Spiral Beach Announces National Tour
Fresh out of the studio and into the van, Spiral Beach will be packing their bags for a 25 date national tour! They will be hitting the road with one of their very own favourite acts, Hey Ocean! Check out tour dates for all 25 stops in Canada!

As Spiral Beach disappear down the highway, Michael Olson (Hidden Cameras) finishes the final mixes for the band's next album for Sparks Music which will be unleashed in Canada this August.

Meanwhile...south of the border Tommy Boy and Sparks are lighting a fire under the band's current CD Ball which will be released in the U.S. on May 5th.

Brown Bottle Sessions On XM
Canadian Music Week (CMW) has officially kicked off and XM Radio are showing their support by opening their Toronto studio for live-to-air sets by some of Canada's hottest up-and-coming bands. Dubbed the Brown Bottle Sessions, you'll get to hear over 30 bands perform live on March 12th and March 13th between 12pm and 3pm ET each day. This of course includes Sparks Music's very own The Priddle Concern, Spiral Beach and Tin Star Orphans. All three bands will be performing, back to back to back as of 1:30pm on Thursday, March 12th.

To catch the Brown Bottle Sessions live on XM, tune into The Verge – XM 87.

The Irish Are Coming
Fred (from Cork, Ireland) are set to grace our lovely shores next week in order to celebrate the release of their fabulous new album, Go God Go, which comes out on March 10th, 2009 via Sparks Music. The band will perform in Toronto, Waterloo and Montreal during their visit to Canada. You can catch Fred as follows:

Thursday March 12th @ The Hideout, Toronto (CMW Showcase)
Friday March 13th @ C'est What, Toronto (CMW Showcase) - Free Show
Saturday March 14th @ The Green Room, Montreal
Tuesday March 17th @ The Starlight, Waterloo
Wednesday March 18th @ Tattoo Rock Parlour, Toronto (St. Paddy's Day Hangover Party)

Sparks Signs U.S. Deal
Sparks Music is pleased to announce a deal with Tommy Boy in the United States. Tommy Boy is widely recognized for its significant contribution to the development of new music around the world. Over the years their roster has included everything from the groundbreaking Afrika Bambaataa to acts like De La Soul, Queen Latifah, House of Pain, Naughty By Nature and Everlast plus more recent successes like Bob Sinclar and Plushgun. Tommy Boy has always been committed to finding and supporting groundbreaking new music and culture.

With this new US deal, Sparks Music have plans to simultaneously release Spiral Beach and the newly signed, The Lovely Feathers in both Canada and the U.S. this coming spring.

Sparks Signs Two New Bands
Sparks Music is pleased to announce that we've signed The Lovely Feathers and Tin Star Orphans to our ever growing roster! Spin Magazine recently picked The Lovely Feathers as one of the top 5 bands to watch from Montreal! Tin Star Orphans have been compared to grandiose indie-rockers Arcade Fire to alt-country veterans Wilco.

Both bands are currently putting the finishing touches on their respective new albums, which will be coming out in the early part of 2009.

Welcome To Sparks Music
Welcome to the new Sparks Music website. Please have a look around and feel free to send us your comments or suggestions about the site, our roster and music. In fact, if you are a musician, we want to hear from you. Just click on the button at the top left side of the website entitled "Submit Your Music".

As part of our new website offerings, we will soon begin selling high quality 320kbps MP3 digital downloads, complete with print quality artwork at a very attractive price. So check back soon for all the details.