Is he country? is he rock? does it matter? Travis catches up with our friend from Northern Ontario, Cory Marks at Boots and Hearts!

This summer at Boots and Hearts Travis Sallans caught up with 2022 CCMA Rising Star winner and 2018 SiriusXM Top of The Country winner Andrew Hyatt!

Teigen Gayse is a top 3 SiriusXM Top of the Country finalist and on Saturday September 9, 2023 she paid a visit to Spencerville for a headline performance at the Spencerville Fair! Tune in for our conversation about the Top of the Country competition, what's coming up and more....

We've been following Robyn Ottolini since she was a finalist in the 2016 Boots and Hearts Emerging Artist showcase. Since then she's gone on to develop quite the name for herself. We caught up with her just before she took to the stage at Festival Country Lotbinière opening for Russell Dickerson while she was on a night off on her tour with Canada's country queen, Shania Twain. Tune in for our first interview with Robyn in 6 years and see if she still remembers what she told us her comfort food was back then....

While we were at Festival Country Lotbinière this year we were introduced to a very talented newcomer from Quebec, Andie Therio. Andie's latest single, "Golden Wings", is out now! Catch her live at Le Festival d’été de Québec and LASSO this summer!

Chatting with Kelsi Mayne about her experiences throughout the pandemic, music and her upcoming debut performance in Quebec at Festival Country de Lotbinière this weekend. Plus the 2021 CCMA Award nominations are in and The Washboard Union are hitting the road across Canada starting this November! For a taste of this weekend's lineup check out our official Festival Country de Lotbinière playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7baadQIHj4vXbiemH2qUAJ All this and more at www.soundcheckentertainment.ca

No it's not a broken record, Paige Rutledge (who joined us on this podcast in May), is back for another visit. She's got a new single, "Sunshine Sunday", and lots of amazing performance news to tell us about. In music news a recap of the CMAO Awards, big news for The Chris Buck Band, plus new tours announced this week from Imagine Dragons and Tenille Townes.  For more visit us here www.soundcheckentertainment.ca

If tragedy and overcoming adversity are the hallmarks of a good country song, the River Town Saints have earned their dirt road credibility. For most bands the loss of a lead singer followed by the sudden passing of a beloved band member would be insurmountable odds impossible to overcome. This is exactly what happened to RTS in 2018...and now here we are 3 years later and not only have they overcome they're still thriving. It gives us great pleasure to chat with and get to know the new front man of RTS, Chase Kasner. Join me as we talk about his upbringing in Northern Ontario, his connection to the one and only Shania Twain, how he almost didn't chose a musical path if it wasn't for her advice and what it was like becoming the front man for an established Canadian country band mere months before the worst pandemic in our lifetimes shut the music world down. This is a conversation you don't want to miss. Live Music There's plenty of live music going on in Ontario this weekend The Endless Summer Series @ Burl's Creek with 3 days of country music presented by Boots & Hearts. Ft. Dallas Smith, Meghan Patrick, Tim Hicks, Mackenzie Porter, James Barker Band, Tyler Joe Miller and more. Tickets @ www.burlscreek.comCrooks Rapids is back for their 2nd year Saturday ft. The Road Hammers, JoJo Mason, David Boyd Janes, River Town Saints, Lemon Cash & more... Tickets at www.crooksrapidscountryfest.comCountry Music Association of Ontario Awards weekend: New Faces Showcase Fri, Legacy Revival show Sat, and the 2021 CMAO Awards Sun ft. performances by Tim Hicks, Aaron Allen, Buck Twenty, Elyse Saunders & more. Visit www.cmaontario.ca.Happy Green Acres Presents Jordy Jackson, Abby Stewart, Rifle and the Writer & more www.happygreenacres.com

Josh Norrad is a 6x Musique/Music New Brunswick Award nominee including 2x "Country Artist of the Year" nominee. As a result of fan support, Josh was named among CBC SEARCHLIGHT’S “TOP 25 IN CANADA” by popular vote. Members of Josh’s band have opened for or shared the stage with: Tim McGraw, Tim Hicks, Travis Tritt, Doc Walker, Gord Bamford, and more. His 2020 single “To the Wind” was produced by Jason Barry and featured DEAN BRODY’S band. The song reached #11 in North America on the iTunes country charts a day before it's official release. Join us as we tell you the story about how we first met Josh and the crazy ride it's been for the last year and a half leading up to his headlining performance at our 10th Anniversary Extravaganza last month. You don't want to miss this episode!

This is the most important episode I've recorded. Over the past few months Canadians became aware of some horrible things that happened in our nation's past. As we mark Canada Day 2021 I address these issues and more. The incredible Elyse Saunders joins us to talk about CBC Searchlight, Boots and Hearts, CMAO Award Nominations and her plans for the summer of 2021. Plus festival announcements in Eastern Canada that'll get you pumped up for the return of live music! As always for more information on any of the content of this podcast visit www.soundcheckentertainment.ca

Ottawa's Jeff and Cory Papineau join us to tell us the story behind Lemon Cash, their single "Wine Tonight" as well as upcoming live performances with River Town Saints and more. Plus a new Musicians Vendor Market coming to our SCE 10th Anniversary Extravaganza, more success for Elyse Saunders, the Calgary Stampede unveils their lineups for not just one but two incredible stages at this summer's event and concert announcements from Blackberry Smoke, USS, Pitbull plus Headstones, The Tea Party, Sloan and Moist are back with the Saints and Sinners tour. All of this and more on our website www.soundcheckentertainment.ca

One year ago at this time Suzi Kory was just starting to make a name for herself and had just recently come onto our radar. Fast forward a few months and she had planned and organized her very own set of drive-in music festivals featuring a number of her peers. Now a year later Suzi is back with what could, and should, easily become the song of the summer..."Gotta Feelin'"! Also be sure to catch Suzi July 23 as she co-headlines opening night at our 10th Anniversary Extravaganza, tickets are on-sale now!! Pre-Save the single now and watch for the music video on June 25! Plus concert announcements by July Talk, Edmonton Rock Fest, Eric Church, Chris Lane, Jann Arden and more!!! Be sure to visit www.soundcheckentertainment.ca for even more....

Summer has arrived here in Ontario and the lockdown has lifted! That means campgrounds are open and LIVE music is just around the corner! We're joined this week by Henry Boer. Henry is co-owner of 1000 Islands RV and Happy Green Acres, the place to be for live music in Ontario this summer. If you love music festivals and camping or just thinking about upgrading your camping life to the comfort and luxury of an RV, Henry has all the answers!  Looking for live music this summer? Happy Green Acres was the place to be in 2020 and it's shaping up to be the place to be once again this summer! We'll unveil the summer lineup including the star studded 1000 Islands Blues Festival which will feature performances by JW Jones, MonkeyJunk, Harpdog Brown and more. Plus a wrap on the 50th Annual JUNO Awards and all the latest concert announcements! This is an episode you don't want to miss! Be sure to visit www.soundcheckentertainment.ca for even more....

Brian John Harwood is one of the busiest guys in the Canadian Country Music business. Not only did he launch a smoking solo career about a year ago, he remains one half of Kansas Stone, has a full time job and continues to write new music for himself, Kansas Stone and others. Last spring he teamed up with Dustin Bird to write the inspirational and anthemic "Together We're Strong".  The song was recently chosen by the Canadian Forces Snowbirds, who have a tragic connection to the song, as the theme for their 2021 summer tour. Join us as we talk to Brian about "Together We're Strong" and what he's got coming up for us this summer both solo and with Kansas Stone. It's JUNO Week in Canada with the festivities already underway and the awards kick off tomorrow evening. The Weeknd leads with six nominations, Jessie Reyez, JP Saxe and Justin Bieber with five each. Other nominees include Crown Lands, Brett Kissel, The Reklaws, Arkells, Dallas Smith and more. Watch for our full coverage this weekend on our official JUNO Awards page! Plus tour announcements from The Glorious Sons, Slipknot, Alanis Morissette and 3 Doors Down Be sure to visit www.soundcheckentertainment.ca for more....

Mackenzie Porter breaks a 16- year old record down under, JUNO Week 2021 is officially underway, Justin Bieber set to join the Tragically Hip ft. Feist as a performer at this year's JUNO Awards broadcast, Faster Horses Festival a go for this July featuring Luke Combs, Thomas Rhett, Jason Aldean and more. Plus a new American Idol has been crowned...Chayce Beckham became 19th Idol on Sunday after a star-studded event featuring must see performances by Mickey Guyton and Alyssa Wray, Leona Lewis with, runner up, Willie Spence plus a duet featuring Katy Perry and Hunter Metts that will leave you with goosebumps. Time is running out if you want a shot at being crowned Canada's next country star!! Submissions for the Boots and Hearts Emerging Artist Showcase close next week! Register today at www.bootsandhearts.com/showcase Our special guest this week is a duo from western Canada who both made a name for themselves individually prior to coming together after a chance meeting 5 years ago. Composed of 2015 CCMA Spotlight artist and Ray McAuley Horizon Award-winner Danielle Marie, and Jordan Pritchett, guitarist of the Juno nominated, platinum-selling band, Faber Drive, Cross Parallel returns with their new single "Better With Time" tomorrow. The duo has already garnered attention from the music industry and fans worldwide, building their online presence, with over 175K+ streams on Spotify, 25K Apple Music Streams, and 29K+ YouTube Views in their first year as a duo. Cross Parallel has performed at incredible venues including the 2019 BCCMA Awards Show for their single “Don’t” and opened for the CCMA Hall of Famer, Terri Clark. Be sure to visit www.soundcheckentertainment.ca for more....

Music News Big week for music live news, unfortunately not so much if you're a Canadian Live Music fan. Tune in to hear about the latest shows and tours, not, coming to a Canadian venue near you this summer. Alice Cooper, Jason Aldean, Lady A, Ashley McBryde, Blake Shelton, Kings of Leon and more are hitting the road this summer but Canadian dates are still nowhere to be seen. Plus Boots and Hearts wants to know if you could be Canada's next Country Music Star? Registration is now open for the The Boots and Hearts #EmergingArtistShowcase presented by Coors Original Canada New Music Dan Davidson is back and his latest single could be the anthem of summer 2021. Dan Davidson dropped his latest single, “Roll With It”, featuring The Road Hammers. “This is a song about grinning and bearing it”, explains Davidson. “It’s All about keeping a smile on your face and making the best of things until the bad times get better - and they always do.” This week's feature artist Buck Twenty Singer/songwriter duo Mike Ure and Aidan Johnson-Bujold emerged from the small towns of Harrow and LaSalle, Ontario, in a very big way. In just a few short years, the band has earned incredible accolades and awards including; Their first Top 40 Billboard Single (#36), four 2021 CMAO Nominations (Single of the Year, Duo or Group of the Year, Rising Star, Music Video of the Year)  Second place in the 2020 Unsigned Only Contest, Top 10 in the International Songwriting Competition, 2018 CCMA Spotlight Finalists position and more. In this competitive landscape, this laid-back registered nurse and music teacher, continue to turn industry heads and win over fans, keeping up with other top-performers in their genre. Join us as we chat with Buck Twenty about their new single, Cut Me Off

On this week's episode we're joined by Paige Rutledge. Paige is a country singer-songwriter. With the combination of her catchy lyrics, and country-pop blend, audiences are sure to be singing along. Paige began performing at age 10 at local restaurants, venues, and events. She began working with Michael Sarracini (Frozen Ghost, Honeymoon Suite) at his independent record label, Mono Road Music, in early 2014. Paige released her debut single, “Someday”, later that year and has now gone on to release two self-written EP’s, “Hey Girl” and “From the Heart”, respectively in 2016 and 2018. In October 2020 she released her breakthrough single "Take Me Back to Tiki". This Friday marks the release of Paige's first single of 2021, "Broken Record". "Broken Record" is an anthemic song for everyone that goes through the same looping relationship drama. Driven by massive drums and catchy country melodies, this song is infused with good vibes putting a positive spin on a negative situation. This plus music news from PTBOLive, The CCMA, Justin Bieber, a milestone single for Cory Marks and our weekly new music spotlight featuring new singles from Buck Twenty and Ryan Laird!

From Autumn Hill to East Adelaide our first guest needs little introduction. As one half of Autumn Hill, Mike Robins, has been nominated for 4 Canadian Country Music Awards, 2 JUNO Awards, and 5 Country Music Association of Ontario Awards, and won awards for the CMAO’s Rising Star and Best Group/Duo.  In the fall of 2020 Mike Robins released his debut single "Lightning Don't Strike Twice", that song has since gone on to receive over 71,000 streams on Spotify and the video has been watched nearly 19,000 views on YouTube! This spring he's back with "One Beer At A Time"