Dylan Menzie

2016 will likely be remembered for the great artists we lost, but lest we forget there was some truly fantastic music that came out this year. As we approach 2017, we here at CBC Music along with our colleagues at Radio 2 and q were tasked to pare down this year in recorded music, distilling the highlights till we found what we believe are 2016’s essential songs.

Before we begin, a few notes about the methodology: These are songs that were in high rotation on Radio 2 that were then ranked by their performance in digital sales, national airplay and peak chart position on the Radio 2 Top 20. Representatives from q, CBC Music editorial and Radio 2 were then asked to determine songs that were editorially significant. These songs were then ranked alongside the Radio 2 list on sales and spins, and voila, we had a list of 100 songs that were sorted purely based on math.

So, without further ado, here are CBC Music's essential songs of 2016.

100. Mavis Staples, "High Note"
99. The Head and the Heart, "All We Ever Knew"
98. Big Little Lions, "Fills Me Up"
97. Bon Iver, "33 'GOD'"
96. Nigel Hall, "Gimme a Sign"
95. Alysha Brilla, "No More Violence"
94. White Lung, "Below"
93. Tory Lanez, "Luv"
92. Julian Taylor Band, "Set Me Free"
91. Tafari Anthony, "Know Better"
90. Sara Hartman, "Satellite"
89. Regina Spektor, "Bleeding Heart"
88. Blue Rodeo, "I Can't Hide This Anymore"
87. Chloe Charles, "Smiling"
86. Son Little, "Toes"
85. Charlotte Day Wilson, "Work"
84. Harrison Brome, "Midnight Island"
83. Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, "I'm Still Here"
82. Gregory Porter, "Don't Lose Your Steam"
81. Jain, "Come"
80. Santigold, "Can't Get Enough of Myself"
79. Gord Downie, "The Stranger"
78. A Tribe Called Quest, "We the People"
77. Megan Bonnell, "Can't Have You"
76. Tim Moxam, "Harvest for the Queen"
75. Nuela Charles, "Crumbling Down"
74. Blood Orange, "Best to You"
73. Dylan Menzie, "Kenya"
72. Mitski, "Your Best American Girl"
71. Jessy Lanza, "It Means I Love You"
70. John K Samson, "Vampire Alberta Blues"
69. Tor Miller, "Always"
68. Tami Neilson, "Holy Moses"
67. Andrew Bird, "Capsized"
66. Declan McKenna, "Brazil"
65. Royal Wood, "Long Way Out"
64. Tanika Charles, "Soul Run"
63.Laura Mvula, "Phenomenal Woman"
62. Jim Bryson, "Depression Dance"
61. Scenic Route to Alaska, "Love Keeps"
60. Matt Andersen, "Honest Man"
59. Oh Pep!, "Doctor Doctor"
58. Charles Bradley, "Ain't It a Sin"
57. Chantal Kreviazuk, "All I Got"
56. Lizzo, "Good as Hell"
55. Chance the Rapper, "Blessings"
54. Donovan Woods, "On the Nights You Stay Home"
53. The Zolas, "Get Dark"
52. David Myles, "it Don't Matter"
51. Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Dark Necessities"
50. Arkells, "Drake's Dad"
49. Charlotte Cardin, "Big Boy"
48. Begonia, "Juniper"
47. Solange, "Cranes in the Sky"
46. Bastille, "Good Grief"
45. BADBADNOTGOOD, "Time Moves Slow"
44. Jack Garratt, "Worry"
43. TUNS, "Mind Over Matter"
42. Andy Shauf, "The Magician"
41. Little Scream, "Love As a Weapon"
40. Aurora, "Conqueror"
39. Rae Sremmurd, "Black Beatles"
38. Rihanna, "Kiss is Better"
37. Fitz and the Tantrums, "HandClap"
36. High Valley, "Every Week's Got a Friday"
35. Banners, "Start a Riot"
34. Bob Moses, "Tearing Me Up"
33. Sia, "The Greatest"
32. Tegan and Sara, "Boyfriend"
31. Desiree Dawson, "Hide"
30. Frank Ocean, "Pink + White"
29. BROS, "Tell Me"
28. Tanya Tagaq, "Centre"
27. Kings of Leon, "Waste a Moment"
26. Reuben and the Dark, "Heart in Two"
25. Leonard Cohen, "You Want It Darker"
24. Michael Kiwanuka, "Black Man in a White World"
23. Basia Bulat, "Infamous"
22. Case/Lang/Veirs, "Atomic Number"
21. Cage the Elephant, "Trouble"
20. Radiohead, "Burn The Witch"
19. A Tribe Called Red, "R.E.D"
18. David Bowie, "Lazarus"
17. Hannah Georgas, "Don't Go"
16. Kaytranda, "Lite Spots"
15. Adele, "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)"
14. Kaleo, "Way Down We Go"
13. Sam Roberts Band, "If You Want It"
12. Joseph, "White Flag"
11. Bobby Bazini, "C'est La Vie"
10. Alessia Cara, "Outlaws"
9. Ria Mae, "Gold"
8. The Weeknd, "Starboy"
7. The Tragically Hip, "In a World Possessed By the Human Mind"
6. Wintersleep, "Amerika"
5. The Chainsmokers, "Closer"
4. Beyonce, "Hold Up"
3. Serena Ryder "Got Your Number"
2. The Lumineers, "Ophelia"
1. Drake, "One Dance" - CBC Music

Prince Edward Island singer-songwriter Dylan Menzie was awarded a SOCAN No. 1 Song Award for "Kenya," the track that took the 21-year-old to the final four of Searchlight 2016.

"Kenya," which also reached the No. 1 spot on the CBC Radio 2 Top 20 chart on June 13, 2016, was written by Menzie and included on his sophomore album, Adolescent Nature. - CBC Music

We've been saying it for years and it continues to be true. Some of the best and most creative pop/rock artists in the twenty-first century are based in Canada. This disc is short, clocking in at just over thirty minutes. But in that length of time up-and-coming singer/songwriter Dylan Menzie makes a definite impression with his music. This young fellow has a sound that is simultaneously unique and familiar. These songs feature intelligent lyrics and nice winding melodies. And Menzie has a voice that really makes his songs hit home. This guy is obviously headed on a quick path to success. Adolescent Nature features six originals and, surprisingly, ends with a cool cover of Robert Plant and Jimmy Page's "That's The Way." - babysue

What started out as more than 2,000 Searchlight submissions from across the country has now been whittled down to four finalists. The top vote-getter made it through, and the Searchlight judges picked one act each. The finalists are listed below.

Now it's up to our judges — Maestro Fresh Wes, Sarah Blackwood and Dallas Smith — to decide the final winner. All four musical acts will vie for the grand prize on a prime-time televised broadcast on CBC-TV, competing in front of a live audience and our celebrity judge panel. Watch it all go down on CBC -TV Sunday, May 22. Below, are the local listings:

– 8:30 p.m. (N.L.)
– 8 p.m. (N.S, P.E.I., N.B.)
– 7 p.m. (Quebec, Ontario)
– 6 p.m. (Manitoba)
– 9 p.m. (Saskatchewan, Alberta, B.C.)
– 8 p.m. (N.W.T)

The winner of the grand prize will make an appearance at the CBC Music Festival in Toronto on May 28, and will receive a grand prize valued at $50,000 that includes $20,000 worth of equipment from Yamaha Canada, a Career Booster package from Canadian Musician magazine, including a studio session, mentorship, album production, distribution and more.

Onto the finalists! - CBC Music

The young man with the big sound, this is the second mini-album from P.E.I.'s Menzie, following 2013's, Heather Avenue. This time there's seven cuts, a half-hour of tunes, enough to satisfy those hooked by the popular cut Kenya. That song has led the way on what's become a breakout year for Menzie, which saw him make it all the way to the final four in CBC's Searchlight competition, and now sits on top their Radio 2 chart.


Producer Daniel Ledwell (Jenn Grant, Fortunate Ones) helps add the epic, from the straight-ahead rock of Talk To Me, to the more introspective but aurally-awesome Surviving Just On Coffee (ace title alert!). Menzie does need to be careful and mix it up, as he can get a little too close to Plaskettville at times, with his vocal hoots and tight rhymes, heard on Julia, so the more experimentation the better. And certainly Kenya is a good step away from the classic East Coast rock sound, and so is the ringing acoustic cover of Led Zep's That's The Way. What I'm hearing most is a strong combo classic troubadour and up-to-the-minute textures, and that's different. - CBC's Bob Mersereau

We’ve listened to every performer of the HUNDREDS upon HUNDREDS that are playing at CMW, so you don’t have to do it (sure, it took about 64 hours and 23 mins of listening, but hey, who’s counting!?) All you need to do now is (wait for the page to load lol) and listen to the performers to easily pick out who you want to see this week!

Oh, don’t forget to get your CMW Wristbands and Tickets here!

Make sure you check out the Performer Special Mentions further down. They are bands that were being considered for the top 50! - Indie Underground

Five minutes late, I ran into the coffee shop to find a calm, cool, and collected young man dressed in faded jeans, a plain white dress shirt, and shades. Dylan Menzie is the very image of cool: a whispy young James Dean sitting at a windowed table for two, sipping on a latte as if he was right at home in the hustle and bustle of Fredericton during the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival.

“I grew up on Prince Edward Island about five minutes away from the Ferry. I had three brothers, one younger, two older, and they all played music…It was pretty much where my involvement in music started, just playing with my brothers.”

Dylan’s roots as a musician began to develop as a child and he truly came into his own at the impressive and impressionable age of sixteen, as a PEI-bred teen playing a song he wrote about a girl he had a crush on for a school talent show. “I started playing the fiddle and it’s just moved onto drums and then trumpet and then guitar and then whatever. You know I play like ten instruments now. It’s just always been something that’s there. I never thought to get serious until I played that show and then I was like, ‘Oh, maybe I could do this’.”

For someone who started to branch out professionally at the age of sixteen, now at the age of twenty-one, Dylan is already an accomplished Maritime artist with one CD out, another on the way, and several shows lined up across Canada. As an artist that nods to such greats as Joel Plaskett, Fleet Foxes, and Ron Sexsmith, Menzie is coming into his own and is certainly one Maritime Artist to watch for in the next five years. His sound is a melodic roller coaster of pure tones, deliberately designed guitar-driven undercurrents, and lyrics that draw listeners to their glory days – the days of true love, good times, and the even mixture of innocence and grit that is the frivolity of youth.

Menzie’s influences can be seen in the composure of his music. When asked about any inspirations, Dylan immediately exclaimed, “Actually, Will Smith, I got this from Will Smith. I saw an interview where he said, ‘Entertainment should be like an escape. No matter what you do, whether it’s music or movies, or tv, it’s an escape for the average person.’ When I heard that, I took that to mean, ‘Aw, well, I don’t want to write about things that are going to depress people, I want to write things that are going to really bring people up, so, for me, that’s parties, friends, drinking; that’s what I like to write about, at least for now anyways.”

Being a young artist certainly has its challenges. When asked about his experiences with writing music, Dylan exclaimed, “I really want to write about things that I’ve already experienced, and at twenty-one, how many experiences have I possibly had? It’s hard to write a really, really heart-wrenching heartbreak song.” Although Dylan is young, he is not without merit as a musician. He’s already been an opener on stage for and has been praised by world-renowned Canadian artist and song-writing legend, Ron Sexsmith.

His youthful energy and enthusiasm is what sets him apart from other musicians. “I’m kind of just starting to get out there, touring more, and am beginning to dip my toes in other places. I want to be on the road.” Menzie has certainly has been on the road, steadily touring throughout his career as a musician, and much of it by himself. When asked about his experiences as a musician just starting out and touring by himself, he shared about the realities of being a solo artist and how great it is when he is able to play with a band, “The more people you bring, the more expensive it gets, but it’s way more fun because say you are playing a show and the crowd’s not into it: If you are up there alone, it makes it a lot harder than if you have two or three guys behind you who are still into it… Like even just to look back and see them smiling and having fun is another thing that keeps the show going even if the crowd is not into it, Having that support there too almost sort of entices the crowd to get into it more. It’s not just you up on stage; it’s almost like the herd, like humans are a herd.”

Dylan’s solo career is booming, however. With a new album in the works, and his EP, Heather Avenue having done quite well, he has a lot to offer the world. Through spending a lot of time with his unique sound over the last while, I couldn’t help but ask about his favourite track on Heather Avenue, “It has always been ‘I Wanna Know’. I found that it was the one that really came out the closest to what I had imagined. That one has always been a favourite for me. I’ve haven’t heard a lot of love songs like that either. It’s written for a puppy love, like kids perspective, and I haven’t heard a lot of songs that were written like that. It was written about a girl that I went to school with. Basically, that’s it.”

Heather Avenue came out two years ago and, like any busy musician, Dylan has a new album in the mix that is set to come out early in the New Year. In terms of live performances, keeping new songs a secret is a task that is no small feat for a musician who has been playing the same song list over and over at shows. “You have these other songs that you are trying to keep secret, but at a certain point, you’re like screw it; I’m just gonna play them. I can’t keep it in any longer. I have to play these songs.” - Kelsey Nevers

Opening with a catchy guitar chords and simple percussion, Dylan Menzie’s latest single “I Wanna Know” is a crowd pleasing tune; the P.E.I native uses an impressive vocal range to ask the big questions about love and the universe. To go along with the new single, Menzie has shared the accompanying music video and announced his fall tour (dates below) with fellow islanders Racoon Bandit.

Retro film effects compliment jump cuts of Menzie in a hair salon with about a dozen different hair styles in the new video, while he sings and calmly staring at the camera. “I Wanna Know” finds a familiar stance within the East Coast/ P.E.I. indie rock scene; brightly welcoming guitar melodies, charming vocal lines, and an overall appealing energy finds Menzie within the same ballpark as Paper Lions, Racoon Bandit, and Two Hours Traffic.

“I Wanna Know” is off Menzie’s debut album Heather Avenue, which is available through his website.

Tour dates:

November 7 – Charlottetown, PE – PEI Brewing Company (with Paper Lions & Coyote)
November 14 – Saint John, NB – Pepper’s Pub
November 17 – Peterborough, ON – The Garnet
November 19 – Toronto, ON – The Piston
November 20 – Sarnia, ON – Paddy Flaherty’s
November 21 – Ottawa, ON – Raw Sugar Cafe
December 3 – Halifax, NS – The Carleton
December 4 – Charlottetown, PE – The Sportsman’s Club - Kane Wilkinson

East Coast Music Week is much more than just an award show. It's a platform for musicians to network and be heard. Especially for emerging artists who are young or new to the industry. These showcases could be your chance to catch the next big voice in Canadian music.

Here are five fresh faces to watch out for during East Coast Music Week.

Dylan Menzie is from Belle River, P.E.I. His debut EP titled Heather Avenue was released in the fall of 2013. He'll be performing on the RBC Breakout Stage at The Ship Pub, and Music P.E.I. stage at The Martini Bar.

​Brianna Gosse is from St. John's. She released her debut album AERA in 2014.You can catch her performing during the East Coast Music Hour with David Myles live at Holy Heart Theatre, Slaight Music Rising Star Showcase at The Ship Pub, and Bluebird North Song Circle at JAG Hotel.

Makayla Lynn is from Nova Scotia, and she is no stranger to the stage: she was just 13 when her album Daydream was released this past August. You can see Makayla Lynn during Slaight Music Rising Star Showcase at The Ship Pub, and Country Stage presented by Canadian Country Music Week & Cavendish Beach Music Festival at The Fat Cat.

Tyler Haché is from Moncton, N.B., and while he's barely legal drinking age he's a mature songwriter and recently released his first EP, Slow Down. Tyler will be performing on the N.B. Music Stage at The Fat Cat.

Kat McLevey is from St. John's, and is a singer/songwriter who gained recognition after winning a MusicNL Songwriting contest at age 16. She released her EP Drifter in May, 2014 and is currently working on a full length album. Kat will be performing on the RBC Breakout stage at The Ship. - Alyson Samson

Dylan Menzie is a bright new face in the world of Canadian musicians. With a huge, rich voice and killer band, Dylan will be one to watch. Although often compared to the likes of Springsteen and Fleet Foxes, Dylan is an original. You can check him out at the Evergreen Theatre on March 18. Tickets available at evergreentheatre.ca or call 902-825-6834.

Dylan you grew up in Belle River, PEI. What was that like?

Dylan Menzie (DM): I loved growing up in Belle River. It’s a small community just outside of Wood Islands (where the ferry between Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia runs) and while I was growing up there, there were a lot of kids in that area interested in the same things as me. The Majority of the Paper Lions members also grew up around that area along with Owen Steel, WhaleSkin, and most of the members of Coyote just to name a few.
Is PEI a good place to be a musician or do you feel the need to move to a bigger city?

DM: I’ve never felt the NEED to move away from PEI because I was missing out on opportunities, but I have wanted to move a few times. It’s an extremely small population, especially if you barely leave Charlottetown, so there’s a lot of small town politics at play. As much as I love PEI it’s definitely nice to get away from it sometimes.
What was your first ”big break”?
DM: That’s a hard one to answer, mostly because I’m the type of person who forgets about what has already happened and just keeps moving forward. I will say that CBC has been a giant help in the past year.
The song “Kenya” is arguably your biggest hit. How did you write that?
DM: Writing songs is always a long process, “Kenya” probably took a few months to write so I only remember little flashbacks of coming up with certain parts. I do remember the night I finished it though. I had a show at a bar in Charlottetown called Hunters. I was opening up for a local band, I can’t remember which one but, I was so excited about it when it was finally done, that I played it that night. It went over pretty well I think. Although the song has changed a lot since that night even still.
Is there one person who has really helped you develop as a musician?
DM: I can’t think of one person in particular. I really get inspired by other artists on the east coast. Looking at acts like Wintersleep, Hey Rosetta!, Jenn Grant, etc. Seeing the shows that they put on really gets my adrenaline pumping and reignites that spark to want it for myself.
You are compared to Joel Plaskett a lot. Are you OK with that?
DM: I have no problem getting compared to Joel. It’s a normal reaction to compare something new to someone you’ve heard before. It gives context when explaining it to people that haven’t heard the music. You give them a setup to see if it’s in the wheelhouse of what they would listen to, something to ease them into it.
What are you working on right now?
DM: Right now I’m kind of all over the place. I’m working on a new album; I just recently got into writing songs specifically for movies, TV, and video games; and I’m also really into writing instrumental tracks at the moment. I like to keep my creative options open, so when I get to that moment when I’m tearing my hair out thinking about lyrics for the new album, I can step back from it yet still have something else to work on.
You have received 8 nominations for Music PEI 2017 and 2 for the East Coast Music Awards, how does that feel?
DM: It feels amazing, especially since there are so many friends nominated with me. Every year I get excited about the ECMAs. It’s nice to see so many familiar faces – some of which I only ever see during that event. It’s the same with the Music PEI awards but the faces are even more familiar.
If you could collaborate with anyone who would you pick?
DM: I’m a giant fan of Bahamas; I love Afie’s songwriting and I’ve always wanted to write a stripped down, laid back album. If I could work with anyone it would be him.
If you couldn’t be a musician what other career would you like to pursue?
DM: Well, I really love taking pictures and making music videos so I could definitely see myself trying photography professionally in some shape or form. I may just do it anyway. - The Grapevine