Toronto boy-girl blues/rock/Americana outfit, July Talk, have stolen our hearts since their radio takeover of “Guns + Ammunition,” the first single off their self-titled debut album. We are obviously beyond stoked to have them as part of our Series Two labels. Peter Dreimanis’ gruff vocals combined with Leah Fay’s make for one throaty, blues-filled sound that is hard to pinpoint. Add to that the talents of guitarist Ian Docherty, bassist Josh Warburton and drummer Danny Miles and July Talk has the indie-rock with a twist thing down pat.

Formed in 2012, July Talk have certainly hit the ground running in the music scene, touring with such Canadian heavy hitters like Sam Roberts, Billy Talent and The Arkells, to name but a few. They’ve even got a Juno nomination under their belts this year for Breakthrough Group of the Year! A lot has happened since that fateful night two years ago when Peter, half drunk in a basement bar in Toronto, heard his future bandmate, Leah, singing on an acoustic guitar that was being passed around. He sought her out and bam! July Talk was born. Magic really can happen in the strangest places.

Speaking of magic, July Talk were the first band to take place in our Collective Arts’ Black Box Sessions with Indie88. Aligned in our like-minded mandate of supporting emerging artists, Collective Arts Brewing have partnered with Toronto’s coolest new station to present Canadians with exclusive musical content. Indie88‘s existing ‘Black Box Sessions’ - intimate acoustic jam sessions recorded with today’s it bands in Indie88’s black room studio - are now sponsored by Collective Arts to produce a whole new roster of recorded jam-outs that will be available when scanning our interactive ‘Black Box’ beer labels with BLIPPAR™ technology on a Smartphone - bringing the music from the black room straight to your beer. The Black Box Sessions will feature both Collective Arts Brewing Series Two label artists and up-and-comers on Indie88’s radar, providing beer-drinkers with fresh and current videos on their phones and online. July Talk kicked off the series with their stripped down version of “Guns + Ammunition” on January 16th.

Having just returned from playing in Austin, TX at SXSW, July Talk are clearly tearing it up right now. Get your fix on their website, Facebook and Twitter.