Be a tourist in your own city.
Listen & Follow on Spotify Duckai – “Stuck” [Listen]I’ve really been digging what we’ve been hearing lately from local music-maker Duckai. Great production, musical sensibilities, smooth harmonies – the artist’s DUCK! EP remains one of my favourite local releases this year (refresh with my June Playlist)! The elusive duck returns with smooth new single, “Stuck.” … Read more
Listen & Follow on Spotify Luckystickz – “Strangers” [Listen]You can text my numberYou can ring my lineWe’ve got some serious local bops this month! Singer, songwriter and steelpan aficionado Luckystickz brings the party with a new summer jam. It’s a smooth, groovy, Afro-pop tune with the musician’s signature steelpan flourishes. The single leads the way … Read more
The Emsee – “Pity Party” [Listen]See inside my brainI disguise the painMaking excuses like the climate’s changedAfter a lengthy hiatus, Hamilton rapper The Emsee returns with a brand new single. The Emsee, a.k.a. Mathew Barber, first got started in 2006 when he turned one of his poems into his first song. The artist took off … Read more
Here we go! I’m wrapping up the 10th year of I Heart Hamilton (we’ll celebrate the official 10th anniversary in May 2021). 2020 was a painful year for so many, and also a much needed time to pause and reflect. I know this year made me really stop in my tracks, re-evaluate everything, and remember … Read more
Golden Feather – “Come On Strong” [Listen]Don’t let your thoughts unwindAnd take you off a million miles from hereJust dig in to this momentBefore it passes byOne thing I love about the Hamilton music scene, the collaborations! Yet another supergroup has formed with Golden Feather: Steve Kiely, Brad Germain, Ronson Armstrong, Chris Wheeler, and Gareth Inkster. … Read more
Calcedon – “To The Light” [Listen]Name three thingsUse five sensesI Heart Hamilton was happy to premiere the brand new single from Calcedon, the musical project of electronic art pop artist (and violinist!) Brielle Melle. The Hamilton-based artist describes her new song, with its delicate vocals, driving bass, and rhythmic kicks as “a will to fight, … Read more
It’s time to wrap up another year! 2019 marks the eighth year of I Heart Hamilton. Once again I urge you to get out there, go to shows, buy music/merch, and become invested in your local music scene. It’s always so difficult to narrow down and rank a list and get to as many artists … Read more
Iskwé – “Breaking Down” [Listen]You were just one of thoseThe kind that gets under the skinYou pick me up, pick me upThen you threw me down againIskwé shares the second single off achakosuk, a new release coming out in late fall. The artist says the song “is about freeing yourself of a toxic relationship to … Read more
Scott Orr – “Stay Awake On The Phone” [Listen]I always seem to picture you aloneI recently caught Hamilton singer-songwriter Scott Orr perform at Mills Hardware on the eve of the release of this new single. The B-side from his Worried Mind sessions hit me with a punch of emotion upon hearing it for the first … Read more
By Kristin Archer Time to wrap up another year! It’s a pleasure to support Hamilton’s music scene and I’m continually inspired by it. If I can leave you with one resolution in 2019: go to more shows! To continue from last year, I’m charting EPs and albums, but I’ll give honourable mentions to these singles … Read more