Hayden with Chloë Doucet

HAYDEN

For over 25 years, Hayden has been making music on his own terms and on his own schedule. The Polaris Prize and Juno nominee has produced, engineered, and mixed most of his records at home, creating a world of his own, exploring themes ranging from love lost and found to bear maulings and home invasions. Hayden recently released East Coast, the first song from his long anticipated 9th full length album expected in early 2023. He is also the co-founder of Dream Serenade, an annual benefit concert at Toronto’s Massey Hall for children with developmental and physical disabilities and their families, established in 2014.

CHLOË DOUCET

Knee-deep in the 21st Century, when autotune has overridden the wail of the wah-wah pedal and the tactile splendor of a 45 has been replaced by the non-entity of a digital streaming service, Toronto-based singer- songwriter Chloë Doucet seems to have been hand- selected by the ghost of George Harrison to reinvigorate the classic notion of guitar-driven rock & roll. While what we now refer to as “classic rock” tends to feel plodding and steeped in nostalgia, Doucet’s incandescent vocals, scrappy guitar riffs and meditative, often whimsical lyrics look toward a fresh & rebellious future while simultaneously paying homage to her beloved lo-fi past.

An ardent Beatles lover since early childhood, Doucet’s love for the guitar feels like more of a journey than a choice. After cutting her teeth as a member of the cleverly- named garage rock duo Side Hustle, she has since found her niche as a subtle yet powerful solo artist a la Harry Nilsson or Carole King; through recent collaborations with members of Toronto’s Zeus, Chloë remains entirely in control of her own vision. Hers are sparkling, contemplative melodies, corduroy-textured & saturated in shades of butterscotch & goldenrod, the kind of songs meant to be listened to on headphones in moments of late summer solitude. Her new single, “Stormy Blue,” is no exception, pairing an addictively sunshiney melody with her trademark lyrical introspection. “Music is like magic,” Chloë says herself— a magic that her uncanny, understated ability to capture manages to elude time or place, instead defining a moment that is entirely her own.