Featured Artists
Marcus Steiner
"Long Way Home"
Marcus Steiner is a guitarist, singer, and songwriter currently based in High River, Alberta. A very versatile musician, he has played solo and in bands of all different genres. He can often be seen around town playing acoustic cover crowd pleasers wide ranging from Neil Young and Johnny Cash to more modern artists such as Cage the Elephant. Don't be fooled by his more folksy repertoire however, Marcus is also especially skilled with putting an acoustic spin on harder tunes from artists such as Rage Against the Machine and Rammstein.
Most recently Marcus has released his second solo effort, "4TPOPS" which dives into hip hop and electronic influences while maintaining Marcus' signature songwriting. Both "4TPOPS" and "They Call Me Steiner" are available on all major streaming platforms. Marcus can be found on Rocky Mountain Maniac releases throughout this site, as he was one of the founding members. You can also check out Marcus' current band Stonegate on all major platforms or the Stonegate Youtube page.
For Marcus' feature song, he has sent us a gem called "Long Way Home". Heading in to the studio late January to lay tracks for this banger!!!
QUARTHON BEAR CHIEF W/ OSCAR BLACK
"ALL NIGHT LONG"
Hailing from the Siksika First Nation, Quarthon Bear Chief and Oscar Black are close friends of the Maniacs and we are thrilled to be doing a feature tune with these two! Q has written a deadly track and has Oscar coming on board to melt faces with his unreal shredding ability.
Quarthon is also the front man to the punk band No More Moments. Click the link below to check them out!
Nikki V
"Wasteland"
Nikki V is a singer songwriter based in Calgary, Alberta pumping out rock and roll tunes for the country soul. You can find Nikki putting on shows around the city with some of the top performers around.
The plan for Nikki's feature song with the Manics is to write it from scratch and hit the world with a new exciting collaboration. We can't wait to see what we put out with Nikki!!! Check out her website below in the meantime.
Jonathan Dickson
Jonathan Dickinson is a Cochrane Alberta based musician who has had a dream of creating art through music since before he can remember. With inspirations that range from jazz fusion to melodic death metal he strives towards creating music that not only he enjoys but can bridge the gap between genre's and generations!
Sometimes in life, things just work out the way they should; And we here at the Rocky Mountain Maniacs, well we like that. The sand was running thin in the hour glass here at RMM HQ and we needed a last minute fit to finish the features project. Who could it be? Who ELSE could it have been? Why it could only have been Jon of Passing Pluto! We know you know and love him, and he came a runnin’ just when we needed him most! We got a banger on the go here, so stay tuned!
Jess Vernon
"4 Walls"
When you listen to Jess Vernon's music you will feel like you're back at home, cozy and comfortable. With waves of warmth and understanding. She's an Indeginous musician, playing songs all over the country, from New Foundland to Vancouver , she is currently based in Calgary, Alberta and performing at various venues around the city. Music has been her lifes passion, escaping into a song and expressing herself through melody has, and continues to heal her soul. She plays rhythmic beats while singing velvet vocal melodies ,wether it is on guitar or piano, she hopes her raw honesty and emotion will help put a little more light in this world.
We have written a gem of a tune with Jess called "4 walls". While waiting for this tune to drop, check out more of Jess' content on the link below
Shvt Muzak
"Roadmaps"
Shvt is the all-diminished 5th chord mumblecore trap project that may very well come to define the 20's. Started as an attempt to introduce a measure of misery into the judging panel at a local songwriting contest, Shvt has morphed from a genre bending excursion into “Anxietycore” to a viable solo project with a cohesive audio-visual aesthetic specifically designed to induce feelings of discomfort and paranoia in the listener, while simultaneously serving as a lesson in the technical theory aspects of songwriting. With a cutting edge fashion sense that could be described as an affront to all rational aesthetic sensibilities, and a raft of upcoming all-caps titled singles including “FISTING ON THE FIRST DATE” and “DO DRUGS WITH KIDS,” Shvt may very well be the first ever act to fuse the absurdist leanings of bands like Mr. Bungle with the crunk stylings of Brokencyde. Gloriously trashy and boldly unlistenable, Shvt defies the listener to brave the onslaught and see the avante-garde method beneath the mayhem.
With Shvt, we will be tuning up a sweet number called "Road Maps" we wrote and released together for the yyc 8 hour song writing challenge. Check out Shvt's facebook page below in the meantime.
Berkley Shea
"Havin' a Time"
Berkley (aka the Newfie Pirate) - "This sang came from a childhood memory of my favourite place on earth. A run down wharf in Carter’s Cove Newfoundland. I used to go there with family every time I would go back home and we would fish and run up and down the wharf. The water and isle’s all around just created this amazing picturesque view that is etched into my memory. I have a picture of the wharf in my music area at home. Newfoundland is who I am and I have been able to build a music career singing songs from home. When I had the chance to co-write a tune with the Rocky Mountain Maniacs it was quite emotional and exciting for me. I was able to share who I am and we put a punk feel to it with some East Coast energy. So I hope you listen to this and feel like you are Havin' a Time."
We are beyond thrilled to have Berkley bringin the East Coast flavour to the party!
Scott Bennett
Scott Bennett is a seasoned rock and metal musician born and raised in Calgary, AB. As the frontman and founding member of Calgary hard-rock group “The Path Less Traveled", he has shared stages with notable touring acts and garnered invaluable experience along the way. In tandem with with his live music career, Scott is the founder of "Interim Music," a recording studio that passionately supports local artists. During the pandemic, he organized the acclaimed "YYC 8 Hour Songwriting Challenge," inspiring and supporting Calgary-based artists in releasing music that found its way onto albums and EPs. His dedication to music and fostering creativity has made him a respected figure in the local music community.
Scott has been a huge supporter from the inception of the Maniacs, so we couldn't be happier to get some of his time for this project!!