LEIF VOLLEBEKK & ANGIE MCMAHON SHARE COVER OF THE EAGLES’ “TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT”

Photo Credit: Nicholas Sutton Bell // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES 

Canadian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Leif Vollebekk and Australian singer-songwriter and musician Angie McMahon have unveiled a captivating new cover of The Eagles' iconic hit “Take It To The Limit”. With emotive vocals and haunting lap steel arrangements from the Grammy Award winning musician Cindy Cashdollar, (renowned for her work with Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Ryan Adams), Vollebekk and McMahon reimagine “Take It To The Limit”, offering a fresh yet reverent interpretation to this timeless anthem.

On “Take It To The Limit” Vollebekk honors a major musical influence. “My good friend Angie McMahon and I spontaneously recorded ‘Take It To The Limit’, my favourite Eagles song, when I was last in Australia. I grew up listening to those gorgeous Eagles harmonies with my dad. One cassette, side A, side B. And flip it again. I love the orchestra (it’s partly why I added an orchestra on Revelation) but it’s the blend of their voices that gets me on this song. 

“The artwork is a photo I took on a solo roadtrip from Colorado to Los Angeles, passing through the painted desert, Winslow, Arizona and the mystical Joshua Tree. ‘Put me on a highway / Show me a sign.’ You don’t know exactly what it means but you know how it feels. I feel it has a little bit of that California magic.”

LISTEN / SHARE “TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT” FT. ANGIE MCMAHON
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Revelation, and subsequent singles “Peace of Mind (Morning)” and “Peace of Mind (Evening)”, have received rave reviews by critics and fans alike since their release. Le Devoir gave it ★★★★, while Exclaim! shares an 8/10, stating, “The image shimmers, a mirage in crystal clear water that sparkles before it disappears in a crash of waves. It's in these images that Vollebekk's subconscious is both amplified and reconstructed. Rolling Stone wants everyone to discover “Rock and Roll” and included it in their “Songs You Need To Know” feature, while Atwood Magazine cherishes another favorite; “A dreamy reverie basking in the glow of intimate connection, Leif Vollebekk’s “Peace of Mind (Evening)” is sweet bliss channeled into soul-stirring sound.” In addition, Leif's music was synced in last night's episode of Shrinking on Apple TV+, bringing his signature sound to viewers worldwide.

Recorded at both Sunset Sound in Los Angeles and Dreamland in Woodstock, New York, Revelation is both ethereal and grounded, evoking a deep sense of introspection. The 11 tracks on Vollebekk’s Revelation blend narrative lyrics with one-take lead vocal performances, cinematic arrangements, rich soundscapes, and lush orchestration. Influenced by explorations of Carl Jung’s I Ching, alchemy, and the unknown, Vollebekk crafts an organic, earthy reflection on nature—water, stars, mortality—while contemplating life’s ever-changing present, infused with existential doubt and the search for meaning. 

An artist’s artist with many colleagues as admirers, Vollebekk – who self-produced and played piano, guitar, bass, B3 organ, harmonica, accordion and Moog synthesizer on Revelation – compiled an impressive supporting cast that speaks to the caliber of musicianship and feel of the recordings, including legendary drummer Jim Keltner, notable steel guitarist Cindy Cashdollar (Bob Dylan, Van Morrison and Rod Stewart), and revered bassist Shahzad Ismaily. His other album collaborators included artists Angie McMahon and Anaïs Mitchell on background vocals. The album was mixed by Tchad Blake (Tom Waits, Arctic Monkeys, Tracy Chapman) and mastered by Greg Calbi.

BUY / STREAM REVELATION HERE
BUY REVELATION PHYSICAL ALBUM HERE

ABOUT LEIF VOLLEBEKK
Leif Vollebekk is an acclaimed singer-songwriter originally from Ottawa who now resides in Montreal, Canada. The artist has sold-out headlining tours across North America, Europe and Australia. His first Secret City Records release, Twin Solitude, was a breakthrough album, landing a spot on the Polaris Music Prize 2017 shortlist, a JUNO Award nomination and gathering over 60 million streams. His follow-up, New Ways, confirmed his undeniable talent and surpassed Twin Solitude in streaming. “[His] songs […] are pensive and restless, blossoming with stream-of-consciousness verses that bear the marks of long nights spent alone on the road.” (The New York Times). Previous media supporters include The New York Times, The Late Late Show with James Corden, Pitchfork, Uncut, NPR Music, The Fader, BBC, The Sunday Times Culture, The Line of Best Fit, Paste, Brooklyn Vegan, WXPN, KCRW, Exclaim! and many more. Music from Leif has been heard in TV shows such as Netflix’s Feel Good and Lovesick, HBO’s The New Pope, The Bold Type, Wisdom of the Crowd and more.

TOUR DATES
May 6, 2025 – Perth, AU – The Rechabite
May 8, 2025 – Sydney, AU – The Metro Theatre
May 10, 2025 – Brisbane, AU – Crowbar
May 11, 2025 – Melbourne, AU – The Croxton Bandroom
Jul 15, 2025, Ghent, BE - Gent Jazz 2025
Jul 16, 2025 – Blomendaal, NL – Caprera Openluchttheater 
Jul 17, 2025 - Nijmegen, NL -| Stevenskerk
Jul 17 – 19, 2025 – Sittersdorf, Austria – Acoustic Lakeside
Aug 31, 2025 – Morrison, Colorado, USA - Red Rocks Amphitheatre*
Sept 1, 2025 – Morrison, Colorado, USA - Red Rocks Amphitheatre*

*Supporting Gregory Alan Isakov

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BRADEN LAM’S DEBUT LP OUT TODAY, SHARES NEW VIDEO, ADDS TOUR DATES

BRADEN LAM’S DEBUT LP, THE CLOUDMAKER’S CRY, OUT TODAY

MORE SPRING TOUR DATES ADDED BEGINNING APRIL 25 - TICKETS HERE

WATCH / SHARE “COWBOY BOOTS” HERE

BUY / STREAM THE CLOUDMAKER’S CRY HERE

“Welcoming Vancouver-based singer Michaela Slinger onto the track for an old-fashioned duet, the two sing about heartbreak and reconciliation while pushing through the toughest of times and coming out strong on the other end.The two soft-spoken vocalists prove to be a great match for each other, blending their tones together as they tentatively venture requests to start taking the slow steps to fully opening back up emotionally.” RANGE on “Wide Open”

“Wide Open" has a classic country feel reinforced by haunting pedal steel and the harmony singing of Vancouver’s Michaela Slinger, who co-wrote the tune with Lam in Nashville. Lyrically it digs deep, probing a challenging time in a relationship and the warm and poignant vocals of Lam deliver the message skillfully.” Billboard on “Wide Open”

"Braden Lam's inviting voice rings out over gentle guitar and vibraphone on ‘Beautiful Neighbourhoods’, a timeless single that vibrates with warmth and longing." - CBC MUSIC

"Crafts an expansive but intimate sonic world for us to lose ourselves in" - Earmilk

"Calling to mind the happiest takes by Ben Howard or Tim Baker" - The Coast Halifax

Photo Credit : Paul Atwood // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Today, Braden Lam’s debut record, The Cloudmaker’s Cry, hits the airwaves everywhere. In celebration, he’s adding another run of tour dates throughout Canada this Spring and sharing the new video for “Cowboy Boots”. The track follows album singles “Beautiful Neighbourhoods”, which climbed to #7 on the CBC Music Top 20, “Highway Jesus”, “Hurricane Season”, and “Wide Open”, a duet with Vancouver’s Michaela Slinger. The celebrated Nova Scotia songwriter has also been recently named as one of 8 semi-finalists in SiriusXM’s 2025 ‘Top of the Country’. The three finalists will be announced on April 14.

“Cowboy Boots”, which features Lam’s wife Lassie Fai, “kicks off the ‘country cruising’ middle section of the record," says Lam. "It’s difficult early on in my career being away so much while the person I love most still has to be back home holding down her own job and cheering me on from there. Near the finish line of writing this record I got to be a homebody for a rare moment of time and really microfocus in on the day-to-day of our lives. It was a re-awakening to our goals and dreams. Sometimes we can feel stuck in the present, or just absolutely loathe being away from each other, but ultimately this song captures the connection of two soulmates and being excited about the future together. It’s not really about the cowboy boots at all."

The video for the “Cowboy Boots” uses two very contrasting environments, the Arizona desert and a Spring morning in Nova Scotia. “The video team of Griffin O’Toole (Director) and Tim Mombourquette (Cinematographer) match-cut myself and Fai together into this stunning split screen visual that depicts the two opposing sides of my life on the road and at home," explains Lam. "You can feel both the distance and longing between myself and Fai without ever actually seeing us together."

WATCH / SHARE “COWBOY BOOTS” HERE

MORE ABOUT THE CLOUDMAKER’S CRY
The Cloudmaker’s Cry is Lam’s debut full-length album, and he means album in the classic sense: 10 considered and thoughtful folk songs, meticulously arranged and painstakingly sequenced, meant to be played on a turntable in a single sitting, whiskey optional. Though barely 27, he has lived the life of a much older man—with years of touring, entrepreneurship, and marriage already accounted for—and this collection of songs reflects lessons learned earlier than most, about time and love and the world.

WATCH / SHARE “BEAUTIFUL NEIGHBOURHOODS” (MUSIC VIDEO) HERE

WATCH / SHARE “WIDE OPEN” FT. MICHAELA SLINGER HERE

It was produced in Toronto by Eli Browning, a new approach for Lam, who made his previous three EPs with a host of producers across Atlantic Canada. The pair’s touchstones as they worked through a city springtime in a converted church studio were George Harrison, Neil Young, and other sounds from the 1960s and 70s: music that is lyric-forward and performed with folk instrumentation in analogue tones, resulting in a timeless singer-songwriter record.

This vibe carries through the entire package, from the tintype photographs of Lam to the images wrought in 35mm in the liner notes, to his charming video collaborations with Griffin O’Toole that combine nostalgia, surrealism, and camp into a distinct style of film. Each particular piece fits perfectly into the primary vision, creating something grand in its authenticity and comforting in its warmth.

WATCH / SHARE “HURRICANE SEASON” HERE

WATCH / SHARE “HIGHWAY JESUS” (MUSIC VIDEO) HERE

TOUR DATES
Apr 25, Dartmouth NS, Sanctuary Arts Centre *album release show
May 4, Toronto ON, Adelaide Hall *supporting The Franklin Electric
May 5, Peterborough ON, Sadleir House
May 6, Kingston ON, TBA
May 7, Ottawa ON, First Baptist Church *supporting The Franklin Electric
May 10, Fredericton NB, The Abbey
May 15, St. Andrews NB, Paddlefest 
May 17, Belfast ME, All Roads Music Festival
May 18, Portland ME, TBA
June 14, Uxbridge ON, Springtide Fest

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THE CLOUDMAKER’S CRY TRACKLIST
01 The Hold
02 In The Narrows
03 Hurricane Season
04 Cowboy Boots ft. Lassie Fai
05 HighwayJesus
06 Beautiful Neighbourhoods
07 Wide Open ft. Michaela Slinger
08 Bigger Flame
09 Obsolete
10 Sore

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REBEKAH HAWKER ANNOUNCES NEW EP, SHARES FIRST SINGLE / VIDEO “TAKE ME BACK”

REBEKAH HAWKER TO RELEASE NEW EP, QUIT MY HABIT, VIA VICTORY POOL RECORDS JUNE 9, 2025

WATCH / SHARE “TAKE ME BACK” HERE
BUY / STREAM “TAKE ME BACK” HERE

PRE-SAVE QUIT MY HABIT HERE

Photo Credit : Jen Squires // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

On her new EP, Quit My Habit, country-folk singer-songwriter Rebekah Hawker infuses stories of loss—of family, lovers, youth—with wisdom and resilience. Having established an impressive career at lightning pace through her late twenties—opening for acclaimed acts like The Good Lovelies, Rum Ragged, and Jim Cuddy; garnering accolades like winning Mariposa Folk Festival’s Emerging Artist Showcase in 2024; and gracing world-class stages like Massey Hall—this EP sees Hawker slowing down and reckoning with what really matters. Most of the songs on this EP were written in the sunroom off the back deck at her family’s house in the rural township of Oro-Medonte. “Writing here, it can feel like there’s limitless time to explore and play,” Hawker explains. Spending her mornings reading (finding inspiration in Linda Ronstadt memoir) and journaling, Hawker found herself with the sudden urge to grab her guitar and write, crafting quotidian songs in her distinctive blend of open-hearted country.

Hawker’s music runs the gamut of country styles—from John Prine’s lore-spinning to Emmylou Harris’ honeyed vocals, Kacey Musgraves’ resilient sheen, and the vulnerable strength of Kathleen Edwards. Whether she’s penning powerful ballads or full-blown 90s country bangers, Hawker’s songs all share a similar quality: you’ll want to blast them at full volume. “I wanted to make songs my sisters and I could sing in the car together,” Hawker explains, and when you find yourself inevitably belting the triumphant chorus of “Mad at Love” or crooning the bittersweet coming-of-age crash out anthem “Twenty-Nine”, you get it.

Today, she shares the EP’s first single, “Take Me Back”, a song that “lives in the 100-kilometer stretch between Barrie and Toronto—on Highway 400, where a late-night drive can feel like 10 minutes or 10 hours, depending on which way you’re headed,” says Hawker. “It’s a song with its tail between its legs—the kind you play when you know you messed up and there’s no denying it. So, you fill up the tank, blast whatever radio station will keep you distracted just long enough, and drive straight to the doorstep of the person you never should’ve pushed away.”

In the studio, the song was brought to life through the haunting piano moments from Thom Hammerton, the endless auxiliary guitar and banjo from Stu Weinberg, and the cry of Michael Eckert’s pedal steel. “Together, they perfectly encapsulate the feeling of uncertainty that lingers before you put your heart on the line and ask for forgiveness – knowing that, in love, someone always loses, but praying this time you might win,” explains Hawker.

WATCH / SHARE “TAKE ME BACK” HERE
BUY / STREAM “TAKE ME BACK” HERE

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MORE ABOUT REBEKAH HAWKER
Crafting such tape deck-ready jams took time for Hawker. When the pandemic hit, Hawker’s life changed radically; on top of the pandemic’s inevitable solitude, Hawker’s mom passed away, and she subsequently moved back to her family home in the country just outside Barrie, Ontario. This gave Rebekah the deep time she needed to reckon with all the pivotal relationships: with her parents, her siblings, her friends, her lovers, and herself. She stopped caring about music after losing her mom, and out of the hard grind of Toronto, she embraced the forgiving flow of familial life. And, eventually, the songs began to blossom again.

“Things had changed,” Hawker explains. “Making music wasn’t about proving my worth anymore; it was about accepting what my worth is.” For a week-long recording session at Hamilton’s renowned Catherine North studios (Feist, City and Colour, Chastity), Hawker brought in an array of top-tier session musicians (including long-time producer Will Crann) to shape these songs.

The album’s honest content translated to its clear, impactful arrangements. “Taste of You”—a track that captures that feeling of “being on a third date and it’s going really well”—is a sweet bath of pedal steel (Michael Eckert) and B3 organ (Thom Hammerton), with the band gently locked into an irresistibly smooth sway. The stunning album closer “Twenty-Nine” was originally a fully rip-roaring, self-deprecating reflection on turning 29 (the way Hawker had been playing it at Toronto’s Cameron House). However, this track was last on the docket, and at the end of two packed studio days—the bittersweet afternoon sun pouring through the stained-glass windows of Catherine North—this “cowboy version” didn’t feel right. Guitarist Stu Weinberg pondered the 10 different guitars he had set up around himself at the beginning of the day, decided on a gentle baritone, and the feeling transformed. Rebekah started picking her acoustic, Julian Psihogios dropped the perfect backbeat, and the song took on a new, ponderous life of its own.

The EP’s emotional centrepiece is its title track, which flows through the simple, heartbreaking feelings that Hawker continues to deal with since her mom passed away in 2021. The song captures the feeling of grieving in isolation, and the sense that this grief fundamentally changed who Hawker was in the world. “It felt like re-meeting people in my life,” she explains. “I wanted to explain, ‘You knew me before, but this is who I am now.’” The song captures the feeling of running from your parents in your teens and early twenties, just to find yourself running towards them again later in life, as your time together becomes increasingly precious. “It’s a strange feeling,” Hawker explains, “wanting to share the song with my mom, even though the song wouldn’t exist if she hadn’t passed away.”

Much like her songwriting sensibility, life for Hawker these days is firmly grounded: some days, she’s literally crawling on her hands and knees in snowpants pulling out tires, working her day job at the scrapyard near her family’s home. While Hawker initially feared the sense of regression we associate with moving back home as an adult, the reality of the choice is more positive and nuanced: she’s singing with her sisters, showing them budding songs, and embracing quality time with her dad, aware that these moments of togetherness could only exist at this point in their lives.

Hawker is now thirty, sensibly flirty, and humbly thriving. She’s embracing the ways she’s like her late mom: leaving the house in an excited rush, only to run back to grab whatever she’d forgotten; stopping to talk (for too long!) with folks at the grocery store; and welcoming in everyone for exactly who they are. “After decades of crippling self-doubt I’ve finally arrived at this realization: insecurity is boring!” Hawker laughs. “I’m really beginning to accept myself, and feel like a main character in  this life I’m building.” Quit My Habit sees Hawker making sense of life’s messy circles with a confident smile, a compassionate curiosity, and a deep acceptance of all the beautiful heartache to come. She sums the feeling up best on “Twenty-Nine" when she sings: ‘what if life is about sitting back and watching things fall?’

PRE-SAVE QUIT MY HABIT HERE

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QUIT MY HABIT TRACKLIST
01 Mad At Love
02 Taste Of You
03 Take Me Back
04 Quit My Habit
05 Twenty-Nine 

REBEKAH HAWKER ONLINE
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