Streetlight Social

Streetlight Social are readying the release of their debut LP, Blood from Stone, set to drop on Friday, May 5th, 2017. The album is the culmination of years of hard work and finds the band straying from their hard rock roots. We’re bringing you an early listen in this exclusive #CMPremiere.

In the greenrooms around Southern Ontario, the passenger seat of a worn-down vehicle, the living room of a sound-proofed house – Streetlight Social was born. While trying to follow in their mentor’s footsteps as a hard rock band in mid-2012, they would wind down for the evening with acoustic guitars, layers of harmonies, and whatever other various instruments were to be found within arms’ reach. “It became less of a hobby and more of what we got out of bed for,” says Kevin Austin, Streetlight’s banjo and keyboard player. “Before long, we found ourselves playing rock shows to fulfill obligations while itching to show each other the latest acoustic guitar part we’d written to accompany some piano part or another.”

Finding themselves enjoying the after-party more than the shows themselves, they abandoned their hard rock aspirations and in the following months, collaborative efforts with pals in platinum-selling rock band My Darkest Days set the groundwork for the folk rock act before you, releasing their self-titled EP in February 2014.

Shortly after, the group began working on their full-length debut, Blood from Stone. Its first single, “Daybreaks,” is the embodiment of their musical journey thus far – an upbeat, hooky take on folk rock that showcases their penchant for memorable melodies and magnetic harmonies.

“To say that this record means a lot to us would be an understatement,” shares vocalist/guitarist Chris Millar. “This is two years of hard work – shaping and reshaping our sound as the band evolved alongside the album itself. This was a labour of love, and a lot of sweat equity was invested to get where we are today. It’s been an emotional journey for everyone involved. We hope you enjoy this record even half as much as we did creating it, and we expect you’ll be hearing and seeing more from us in the near future.” - Canadian Musician

Canadian folk rock outfit Streetlight Social have a sound that has a warmth that you'd expect to hear from a band located in a rural locale instead of a bustling city. Yet, the Toronto-based outfit's intricate beauty is on full display with their latest single, "Heart of Glass." Here, the delicate string plucking, enchanting melodies and introspective vocals evoke earnest imagery that's reminiscent of many of the indie folk bands that have risen to popularity in recent years.

"This song may be about your insecurities in a new relationship, or the fear of getting hurt and hurting another, or even the denial experienced when you find out you may not be as strong as you once thought," Chris Millar says. "We have our own interpretations for sure, but we encourage our fans to listen and come to their own conclusions - what resonates most with them."

Listen above.

Streetlight Social's Blood from Stone is out on May 5. - PureVolume

Whether it was their intention or not, listening to Streetlight Social’s newest edition brought me back to my trip to Ireland last year and it’s every bit of amazing. Now I know that was probably not their intention, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that my very first thought upon listening to the first song was about the Irish folk music I fell in love with a year ago. There’s just something so magical and whimsical about listening to a story that was being told in the form of a song. That’s what Streetlight Social accomplishes all throughout their newest album, Blood From Stone. Each song is a story to be told and they do it in the form of well-tuned harmonies and beautiful acoustics.

Leaving their hard-rock days behind them, this Toronto-based band that once collaborated with My Darkest Days, found themselves venturing in a different direction. Even after a hard-rock performance, band members Chris Millar (vocals/guitar), Brandon Ptolemy (vocals/guitar/mandolin), Kevin Austin (vocals/piano/guitar/banjo), and Brendan McMillan (bass/strings) found themselves picking up their acoustic guitars and jamming at the after party.

“It became less of a hobby and more of what we got out of bed for,” says Austin. “Before long we found ourselves playing rock shows to fulfill obligations while itching to show each other the latest acoustic guitar part we’d written to accompany some piano part or another.”

Crediting Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan to Jim Croce and Dallas Green for their inspiration, they began to delve into the world of folk-rock.

Now if you ask me to pick a favourite song, I’ll struggle. Each one is unique in its own sense and the entire album deserves a listen without having a preconceived opinion based on what I said. If you’re a pre-existing Streetlight Social fan from years past, I’d say brace yourself for a little bit of a change. If you’re a brand new listener such as myself, I’d say sit back, relax and really take in each and every minute listening to this album. - Canadian Beats

With fresh acoustic guitars and layers of harmonies, Ontario based folk-rockers Streetlight Social are gearing up for the release of their debut album ‘Blood From Stone’, it will officially be released this Spring, however GroundSounds has the exclusive premiere.

Citing influences from Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Jim Croce, Dallas Green, and too many others to list in a reasonable amount of time – ‘Blood From Stone’ is the culmination of years of hard work, check it out below. - Groundsounds

Canadians with a penchant for sounds that bring to mind Ireland, Streetlight Social rely heavily on acoustic instruments and vivid storytelling on this sophomore album. Though at their inception the band played heavier rock, these days mandolins, banjos, and strings are an integral part of their equation, as the light melodies and thoughtful arrangements parallel Frank Turner’s more stripped back moments, and their cited influences of Dylan and Cash certainly aren’t far off, either. If you think you don’t have room for one more folk-rock disc in your collection, you’re wrong, especially when it’s something this elegantly layered. - New Noise Magazine

Canadian folk rock band Streetlight Social are releasing their debut album Blood From Stone on May 5th and have released the new single "Heart of Glass." The band members cite influences from Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Him Croce, Dallas Green and so many others in the making of this record. Blood From Stone is the culmination of years of hard work. The band actually used to be a hard rock act before one day they got some acoustic guitars out and Streetlight Social in its current form was born.

Regarding the new track "Heart of Glass," Streetlight Social's Chris Millar says, "This song may be about your insecurities in a new relationship, or the fear of getting hurt and hurting another, or even the denial experienced when you find out you may not be as strong as you once thought." He adds, "We have our own interpretations for sure, but we encourage our fans to listen and come to their own conclusions - what resonates most with them." - PureGrainAudio

Streetlight Social will release their debut album Blood From Stone on May 5. PureVolume says, "Canadian folk rock outfit Streetlight Social have a sound that has a warmth that you'd expect to hear from a band located in a rural locale instead of a bustling city. Yet, the Toronto-based outfit's intricate beauty is on full display with their latest single, 'Heart of Glass.' Here, the delicate string plucking, enchanting melodies and introspective vocals evoke earnest imagery that's reminiscent of many of the indie folk bands that have risen to popularity in recent years."

About the song, "Heart of Glass," Streetlight Social's Chris Millar says, "This song may be about your insecurities in a new relationship, or the fear of getting hurt and hurting another, or even the denial experienced when you find out you may not be as strong as you once thought." He adds, "We have our own interpretations for sure, but we encourage our fans to listen and come to their own conclusions - what resonates most with them."

"Heart of Glass" is streaming via SoundCloud.

In the greenrooms around Southern Ontario, the passenger seat of a worn-down vehicle, the living room of a sound-proofed house – Streetlight Social was born. While trying to follow in their mentor’s footsteps as a hard-rock band in mid-2012, they would wind down for the evening with acoustic guitars, layers of harmonies, and whatever other various instruments were to be found within arms’ reach. "It became less of a hobby and more of what we got out of bed for. Before long we found ourselves playing rock shows to fulfill obligations while itching to show each other the latest acoustic guitar part we'd written to accompany some piano part or another" says Kevin Austin, Streetlight’s banjo/keyboardist.

Finding themselves enjoying the after-party than the shows themselves, the hard-rock dream disbanded and in the following months, collaborative efforts with pals in platinum-selling rock band My Darkest Days set the groundwork for the folk rock act before you, releasing their first self-titled EP in February 2014.

With the success from their EP, the group began working on this full-length just months later. What was once a hobby is now a reason to wake up in the morning, and Streetlight’s first single “Daybreaks” is the embodiment of the drive the band has had to come this far. Here to serve you – Chris Millar, Brandon Ptolemy, Kevin Austin, and Brendan McMillan work together in close quarters to bring you their first full-length record “Blood From Stone” – to be released on May 5. Citing influences from Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Jim Croce, Dallas Green, and too many others to list in a reasonable amount of time – Blood From Stone is the culmination of years of hard work, and the years of hard-rock left behind. - The Daily Country

Toronto/ Peterborough folk-rock group, Streetlight Social will be releasing their new album, Blood From Stone on May 5. On April 10, the band released a lyric video for the first single, “Daybreaks”. Check it out, and be sure to stay tuned to Canadian Beats for our upcoming review of the album. - Canadian Beats

Streetlight Social is a folk rock band with roots in Peterborough and Toronto, Ontario. They are set to release their first full-length album, Blood From Stone on May 5th. But you can already check out the album’s first single, “Daybreaks“, on SoundCloud. With influences from musical greats like Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Jim Croce and Dallas Green, its bound to be a great-sounding album featuring layered instrumentation and a focus on emotionally-charged lyrics. We can’t wait to check it out!

“This record is a labour of love,” says Brandon Ptolemy (vocals/guitar/mandolin). “Like sculpting a statue – slowly but surely we moulded a sound that reflected our past, present, and future.” - Canadian Beats

Streetlight Social will release their debut album ‘Blood From Stone’ on May 5th, Following the announcement, the band released a lyric video for the records lead single “Daybreaks”. Watch the lyric video for “Daybreaks” + album details below! - umusicians.

In the greenrooms around Southern Ontario, the passenger seat of a worn-down vehicle, the living room of a sound-proofed house, Streetlight Social was born. Here to serve you, Chris Millar (vocals/guitar), Brandon Ptolemy (vocals/guitar/mandolin), Kevin Austin (vocals/piano/guitar/banjo), and Brendan McMillan (bass/strings) work together in close quarters to bring you their first full-length record, Blood From Stone. Set for release on May 5th, the album is the culmination of years of hard work, and the years of hard-rock left behind. Have a listen to the lead single, Daybreaks – which can currently be heard on radiowaves across the country – for a taste of what Blood From Stone has to offer.

“This record is a labour of love,” says Ptolemy. “Like sculpting a statue – slowly but surely we moulded a sound that reflected our past, present, and future.” Millar continues, “I listen to this record and hear the past two years of hard work and I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I do. It’s all of us, in audio form.”

While trying to follow in their mentor’s footsteps as a hard-rock band in mid-2012, Streetlight Social would wind down for the evening with acoustic guitars, layers of harmonies, and whatever other various instruments were to be found within arms’ reach. “It became less of a hobby and more of what we got out of bed for,” says Austin.“Before long we found ourselves playing rock shows to fulfill obligations while itching to show each other the latest acoustic guitar part we’d written to accompany some piano part or another. Hearing the album from start to finish for the first time was incredibly emotional – like I hadn’t been wasting my time for years. What we were doing was worthwhile, and the proof was in a little 36-minute audio file in my email inbox.”

Citing influences from Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan, to Jim Croce and Dallas Green, Streetlight Social found themselves enjoying the after-party over the shows themselves. The hard-rock dream disbanded, and in the following months, collaborative efforts with pals in platinum-selling rock band, My Darkest Days, set the groundwork for the folk-rock act before you. Streetlight released their first self-titled EP in February 2014 and began working on their full-length follow up just months later. What was once a hobby is now a reason to wake up in the morning. - The Music Express