Brian Asha – Mighty Man (Jack De Keyzer's Rock'n'Roll Remix)
Brian Asha's 'Mighty Man (Jack De Keyzer's Rock'n'Roll Remix)' is a gritty, swaggering blues rock anthem from Vancouver, two-time Juno winner Jack De Keyzer's guitar work blazing through a track that genuinely delivers
Brian Asha's new single opens with a riff that means business. 'Mighty Man' is built around the guitar work of Jack De Keyzer, and it shows: there's a high-signal crunch here that owes as much to Chicago blues as it does to AC/DC's arena stomp. The bassline nods to Hot Chocolate's 1970s UK funk, and the combination gives the track a physicality that's hard to ignore. Grammy Award-winning producer Philip Larsen handled the remix, and the result sounds genuinely massive without losing its rawness. Brilliant blues rock, visceral and completely alive.
Brian Asha is a Canadian recording artist and youth advocate whose roots trace to Toronto's 1980s alternative scene. He splits his time between Vancouver, Toronto and San Francisco, releasing music through Hot Rod Records. The single leads a five-track EP, out 11 September, and serves as the official anthem for Mighty IRL, a movement he founded to inspire young men to step away from screens. A proper rock banger this one! More please.
Mark Garvey – In a World Full of Sheerans, Be More Macklemore
Mark Garvey's 'In a World Full of Sheerans, Be More Macklemore' is a brilliant, furious garage rock polemic, DIY political songwriting that absolutely refuses to sit down
Mark Garvey has something to say, and he's not asking permission. 'In a World Full of Sheerans, Be More Macklemore' is a snarling response to the Ed Sheeran and Macklemore fallout, built on distorted guitars and one-man-band fury. The production is gloriously rough, made entirely in Adobe Premiere Pro, and wonderfully, it sounds like it. That's the point. The chorus lands like a fist on the table, the verses deliver their case wonderfully. The lyric is blunt: art is political, silence is a choice, pick a side. Brilliant garage rock polemic, raw and completely unfiltered.
Mark Garvey is a St Albans artist who makes music, films and multimedia messes, all of it solo from a shed. His sound gets filed under grunge revival, but songs range from system-toppling screeds to latte-sipping existential reflections. Every track comes with a video, this one featuring Hertfordshire's greatest dancer in a shell suit and an Ed Sheeran mask. It's DIY in the truest sense, and we love it.
Leo Duke & The North Wind – Coming Home
Leo Duke & The North Wind's 'Coming Home' is a towering arena rock anthem from Nashville, acoustic grit and heavy riffs colliding in a track that absolutely delivers
Leo Duke & The North Wind open with an acoustic warmth before the whole thing detonates. 'Coming Home' is about walking away from somewhere toxic, and you hear the weight lifting as the song builds. The verses stay close and confessional, then the chorus hits with stacked guitars that's stadium-sized. Shannon Wilk's bass anchors the low end while Jacob Lott's riffing pushes everything skyward. And that guitar work? Love it. Superb arena rock, raw and triumphant.
Leo Duke & The North Wind are a Nashville four-piece turning heads across the city's best stages, from The Cowan to The Basement East to The East Room. Their sound pulls from Guns N' Roses, Aerosmith, Dirty Honey and Mammoth, but there's something of their own in the blend. They've picked up praise from Marty Schwartz, Todd Kerns of SMKC, and Halestorm's Lzzy Hale. And we're not surprised. 'Coming Home' is out now. A proper anthem, more please.
Molland, Solem & Miller – Johnny B. Goode
Molland, Solem & Miller's 'Johnny B. Goode' is a joyous, swinging classic rock tribute from Nashville, one of Joey Molland's final recordings and an absolute blast
Fifteen years in the making, and you can hear every one of them paying off. 'Johnny B. Goode' lands two days before what would have been Chuck Berry's 100th birthday, and it sounds exactly right: no museum piece, just three guitarists who understood what made the original matter. Joey Molland takes lead vocals, his voice worn in the best way, and the whole thing swings in real style. Phil Solem and Jeff Miller lock in behind him, keeping the energy high without crowding the song. Superb classic rock, loose and joyful.
The trio came together in Minneapolis, where Molland and Solem first played a benefit show organised through Willie's American Guitars. Jeff Miller joined them on the road soon after, and what started as acoustic sets turned into a full Chuck Berry tribute album, twelve songs deep, out through Hygh Tension Records and Virgin Music Group. Joey passed earlier this year, making these recordings some of his last. A real zinger this one, and proof that the best songs don't age a day.