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Micah Erenberg: Somewhere Beyond The Ocean

The Winnipeg rocker, who recently signed to Sleepless, impresses with this spirited and melodic single, one featuring ringing guitars and thought-provoking lyrics, and accompanied by an entertaining video.

Micah Erenberg: Somewhere Beyond The Ocean

By Kerry Doole

Micah Erenberg- “Somewhere Beyond The Ocean” (Sleepless Records): This multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer from Manitoba, is a recent signing to the dynamic Toronto indie label Sleepless Records (July Talk, Michael Rault, Kandle).


This track is the first product of that union, with an album slated for release later this year. It is a spirited slab of melodic rock 'n roll, featuring ringing guitars and some thought-provoking lyrics: "You said that there’s a big difference between doing what’s right the wrong way, and living honestly."

The tune is given extra resonance via a video clip filmed by noted director Colin Medley (Partner, Alvvays), one featuring some of Manitoba’s most hidden gem locales and locals. In a label press release, Erenberg explains that “Colin wanted a diner, an industrial park and a toboggan hill. The Oldie, Gimli Airport, and Pope’s Hill. We conjured up a group of lovely hooligans, embraced the cold and had a blast.”

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"Sometimes it can feel like we're stuck in our lives, whether that's working a crummy job, or living in a country where it's cold most of the year,” adds Medley. “With this video, I wanted to show that there's always an escape, whether it's escaping into your own imagination or ditching work to go tobogganing with all your closest buddies."

“Somewhere Beyond The Ocean” was released initially as an acoustic version on one of Erenberg’s earlier DIY albums, and the song’s meaning has also evolved over time.

“I remember being asked the meaning of the closing lyric,” says Erenberg. “I had initially imagined it in a conversation between lovers and had never quite understood its placement. After being asked to explain it, I realized that it was more accurately describing a common situation in modern social justice. It wasn’t until then that I may have truly understood what the song meant to me. More likely is that I still do not know.”

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He launches the single and video with a show at Times Change(d) High & Lonesome Club in Winnipeg on March 7, followed by a six-city Western tour in April. Itinerary here

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Publicity: Ken Beattie, Killbeat

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Executive of the Week: Justin West of Secret City Records on the Secrets of Independent Music Success​
FYI

Executive of the Week: Justin West of Secret City Records on the Secrets of Independent Music Success​

The man behind one of Canada's most successful indie labels talks about the late-blooming success of French-language streaming record-holder Patrick Watson, why he builds long-term relationships with artists, and why it's important for the indie sector to work together.

Justin West is a leader and advocate in Canada’s independent music scene, but he didn’t plan it out that way. When he started his record label Secret City Records in Montreal in the mid-2000s, it was out of necessity. He had met an artist he loved and wanted to build a career with, and the label was a means to do it. That artist was Patrick Watson, and 20 years later he — and Secret City — are more successful than ever.

West — a multiple time Billboard Canada Power Player – leads one of the biggest indie labels in Canada while also advocating for the sector on multiple boards both locally and internationally. When we speak to him for this Executive of the Week interview, he’s just returned from Banff for the National Summit on Artificial Intelligence and Culture, and is a central figure in discussions around the Online Streaming Act and collective negotiations with online streaming platforms.

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