RGK Entertainment Group

17/06/2019

Congrats to ORR / RGK Entertainment Group president Ron Kitchener on winning Industry Person of the Year at the 2019 CMAOntario Awards! 📸: Grant Martin Photography

04/06/2019

NASHVILLE! Don’t miss The Road Hammers, Madeline Merlo & Hunter Brothers at CMA Fest!!

21/02/2019

The RGK Entertainment Group and Open Road families are shattered today with the passing of Daniel Di Giacomo. Words alone cannot describe his character and talents but Dan brightened up every room with his presence. His humour was one of a kind; the clever wit and those impressions, he held hold court for hours when allowed.

Our sincere condolences to his family and the boys from River Town Saints. Missing you Pal, RIP. - Ron and your entire RGK family.

https://www.gofundme.com/support-for-di-giacomo-family

Heaven gained the world's funniest bass player today. As some of you may have already heard, Dan passed away last night unexpectedly. We're all in shock, and trying to figure out the next steps as we go. Many of you have reached out with kind words and prayers and we can't tell you how much this means to his family, and us - his band family. Anyone who had ever met Dan for more than 2 seconds knew that he was the funniest, wittiest and most genuine dude on earth. A heart of gold, wicked sense of humour, and killer hip-hop cred. To say we will miss him is beyond an understatement. Obviously we ask for privacy for Dan's family at this time. If you are able to donate, a GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help his family with funeral costs. We'll see you again brother - until then, keep holding down the low end up there. Love RTS.

19/09/2018

That’s a wrap!

15 acts of kindness in 15 weeks to celebrate 15 years of Open Road Recordings!

The Open Road Recordings team and I had great fun with these initiatives and we were able to donate just under $18,500 in those efforts. Thanks again to the team, artists and all our partners for 15 great years and making all these efforts possible! - Ron

12/09/2018

Goosebumps.

Did you fall in love with Jessica Mitchell at the CCMA Awards? Watch the stunning new video for 'Maybe It's Me', the first single off her debut EP.

11/09/2018

Week 15 of 15:

As mentioned 15 weeks ago, Open Road launched its first release, Doc Walker’s 'Everyone Aboard' this week 15 years ago at the CCMA Awards. It was 2003 and Calgary was the host city.

Our final Act Of Kindness goes to a fun-filled, musical driven, animal awareness event Friday in Hamilton!

Dogs bring so much comfort and joy to individuals and families. While it’s a shame many have to be rescued, I’m thankful these great volunteers exist and are so passionate about rehabilitating and finding new homes for these canines.
We are very happy to donate $1000 to the event supporting Team Dog Rescue, Ladybird Animal Sanctuary, Danes In Distress and more!

On a personal note my mother Gail Neilson was a dog rescuer and major supporter of dog rescue programs. This final Act of Kindness is in her honour.

05/09/2018

Week 14 of 15:

The news on August 10th of the shootings from Fredericton, NB that took four innocent lives including two police officers who dedicated their lives to protecting others was shocking and traumatizing to all across the country let alone the Maritimes.

As always, when tragedies occur in Canada or elsewhere in the world, musicians step up. Artists of all genres offer their social platforms to rally support or draw attention to the needs and donate their time to perform. On Saturday, October 6th, The Fredericton Strong Benefit Concert at the Aitken Centre will feature among others David Myles, Ria Mae, Matt Mays, Classified, Tebey and our own, Madeline Merlo.

All proceeds will be donated to three key support services who helped those impacted immediately and will continue to service the community as they work towards recovery. The Canadian Red Cross in New Brunswick, The Chalmers Foundation and The Canadian Mental Health Association of New Brunswick.

Our friends at NewCap Broadcasting and Bell Media have been key to organizing, supporting and promoting this event to keep .

As part of Open Road’s 15 acts of kindness we will be joined by our good friends and associates at The Feldman Agency in purchasing a block of 26 tickets for affected family members and first responders to attend the concert.

Get your tickets here: http://hyperurl.co/FStickets

29/08/2018

Week 13 of 15:

Small farming towns in the prairies contribute greatly to Canada’s wider economy and are often a story line in country music.

'Born & Raised' by the Hunter Brothers is a perfect example of this idea. J.J, Dusty, Luke, Brock and Ty from Shaunavon, Saskatchewan grew up farming, playing hockey and singing gospel and country music.

The brothers are preparing new music to release this Fall and the RGK / Open Road team could not be more excited.

On August 3rd, Hunter Brothers played the annual Winkler Harvest Festival & Exhibition in Manitoba and the next day participated in the CCI Harvest for Kids fundraising effort to break the world record for “most harvester combines working simultaneous in a single field” which they did, 303 of them!! Congratulations!

The effort raised funds for CCI (Children’s Camps International) and as part of Open Road’s 15 Acts of Kindness we are donating money to ccicamps.com to sponsor a camp!

22/08/2018

21/08/2018

Week 12 of 15: Thousands of music fans made it through the late afternoon thunderstorms to see Dean Brody rock Budweiser Stage in Toronto last Friday night! This marked the second August in a row for Dean and his ace band to headline the waterfront Amphitheatre.

Alan Doyle​ and Michael Ray​ warmed up the crowd and performances from guests; Jess Moskaluke​, Charlie Major​ and Dallas Arcand made for a one of a kind evening of music and inspiration.

Dean’s heart is as big as his hits. Over the past several years he has quietly but passionately supported efforts to build safe houses in Brazil to protect innocent young girls that are lead or sold into prostitution. He has put boots on the ground there (in dangerous circumstances) & worked with others to rally local government leaders to work harder towards a solution. Dean’s now putting similar efforts into Covenant Children's Homes, India.

Very proud to manage Dean and be part of his success and happy to support The Dean Brody Foundation with a financial contribution this week as part of . - Ron
📸: Francesca Ludikar

14/08/2018

Week 11 of 15: Summer festivals are a big part of country music culture and for “developing” artists, the busiest touring time of the year.

Madeline Merlo has had a summer of festival fun from BC to Ontario with a few more to go. Last weekend she killed it with a high energy set at Boots & Hearts near Orillia, Ontario.

Her latest and infectious summer jam “Neon Love” is on its way to top 10 at radio and seeing millions of Streams and video views. Another reason we are so excited about Madeline’s future.

Beyond her big voice, charm and world class talent Madeline is a “giving” soul and has pledged a portion of her Merchandise sales this summer to local Mental Health Centres in the communities she’s playing. As part of , we are excited to match her contributions 100% so more money can make it to these facilities that are so important in helping those in need.

Dekker Centre - Battlefords Mental Health Centre

Centerfield Music Festival - St. Paul Mental Health Service

Party in the Park - Child and Youth Mental Health at Children's Health Foundation of Vancouver Island

Jubilee Park - Spruce Grove Children’s Community Mental Health Clinic (Stan Woloshyn Building)

The Crazy Horse Stonegrill Steakhouse & Saloon - Kanata Psychology and Counselling Centre

Boots & Hearts Music Festival - Community Mental Health Services at Orillia Soldiers' Memorial Hospital

Penticton Peach Festival - Penticton Mental Health

- Ron
📸: Whitney South

08/08/2018

Week 10 of 15: Had a very rewarding visit last week to Antigonish, NS for Special Olympics Canada.

So inspired by the joy of so many athletes representing their provinces in the various sporting events. The teamwork, talent and competitive spirit was fantastic and they were energized by the crowds cheering them on.

Very fortunate to meet Dr Frank Hayden whose research and efforts with the Kennedy Foundation 50 years ago started the first Special Olympics in Chicago. He and his wife Marion continue to be great ambassadors to the games.

Our family friend, star aquatics athlete and country music fan Emily Boycott swam some great races and ended up with two silver medals for Ontario. Congratulations Emily!

A very enjoyable and touching day where I was able to present a $1500 cheque as part of to the lovely Sharon Bollenbach, CEO of Special Olympics Canada. Well done to Sharon, her team and the folks of Antigonish! - Ron

31/07/2018

Week 9 of 15: Hope you are enjoying summer with your families. My family took the opportunity earlier this summer to support the Ride Don’t Hide event in Halton Hills, one of 31 rides organized by CMHA National across Canada and raised $1.83 Million for vital mental health programs and services.

Mental Health is a much more publicly discussed topic these days but certainly more can be done to support those suffering and encouraging they access the help needed.

All of the Open Road Recordings roster have been involved recently in local, regional and national efforts to support Mental Health awareness and we will continue to do so. - Ron

27/07/2018

Not only are Sons of Daughters currently on tour across the US with Birdtalker, they just released a killer new song "Ain't Gonna Be Lonely Long"!

24/07/2018

Week 8 of 15

Live performance has always been a favorite part of this business we’re in and there are a handful of iconic venues known around the world.

No question one of those is Massey Hall in Toronto. While I attended many concerts in the city , Massey hosted so many inspiring shows of my youth from Ronnie James Dio to Lou Reed. The history, the intimacy and the sound all contributed to these great memories.

When Jason McCoy opened for John Berry and Martina McBride in 1997, I was thrilled to go backstage and hang in the halls of this legendary venue. Since then management clients Dean Brody, Doc Walker and Jessica Mitchell have all performed there.

Massey Hall shuts down later this year for a two year “Revitalization” effort and I cannot wait to see what comes of these plans.

Deane Cameron, whom I’ve known for many years as highly respected former President of Capitol / EMI Records is leading the charge with a great team and we are happy to make a donation to the restoration as part of Open Road’s 15 Acts of Kindness campaign.

17/07/2018

Calgary has remained one of the best country music markets in Canada so it was fitting last Saturday during the 106th year of the great Calgary Stampede, where Open Road Recordings had three acts (Tim Hicks, River Town Saints, The Road Hammers) playing different venues, we could support the locally housed National Music Centre as one of our 15 acts of kindness.

Andrew Mosker and the folks at the NMC have worked tirelessly the last few years bringing this great facility to life, it’s a fantastic property to appreciate the great historical accomplishments in Canadian Music.

With the CCMA Awards returning to Calgary in September 2019 for first time since 2005, we are excited to see what developments will take place knowing the NMC will be a big part of the fun.

River Town Saints played a four song pop-up set at the iconic restored King Eddy YYC connected to the NMC and helped present a cheque to Andrew celebrating - Ron

16/07/2018

Who’s ready to GET LOUD?!? Tim Hicks hits the road this November for the and he’s bringing Madeline Merlo in the East!!

11/07/2018

The incredibly talented Jessica Mitchell is nominated for Roots Artist of the Year!!

11/07/2018

Congrats Madeline Merlo on your nomination for Female Artist of the Year!! ⭐️

11/07/2018

Your 2017 CCMA Fans’ Choice winner is back with a 2018 nomination! Congrats Dean Brody!! Vote at apple.co/votedeanbrody

11/07/2018

HUGE congrats to Tim Hicks on earning a well deserved nomination for Fans’ Choice at the 2018 ! Vote for Tim at apple.co/votetimhicks

10/07/2018

Week 6 of 15: This week we are supporting London Girls Rock Camp in London, Ontario. This year’s camp runs from July 2nd to 13th and hosts girls aged 8-15 focusing on empowerment, confidence building, friendship-making and most importantly music loving. Savanah Sewell and a team of musicians and industry contributors guide campers through workshops and classes to build skills and confidence and the best part is there’s no musical experience necessary.

Mary and Amber from Open Road Recordings were able to attend the camp’s first day and give some insight into what record labels do and answer some questions.

With International Youth Day coming up Aug 12th and London hosting The JUNO Awards for the first time next March, we thought it would be fitting to support Savanah and this wonderful camp through with $1000 going towards new gear for the camp. - Ron

03/07/2018

Week 5 of 15: Last week, we purchased needed items to create 50 care packages for the Red Door Family Shelter.

Since 1982, the Red Door has provided services for families and individuals who need safe and emergency shelter, supporting over 500 families every year in the GTA.

They help keep families together by providing services for the whole family.

Within approximately three months most families are re-established back to independent living.

Erin, Dara, Raine, Amber, Kate, Lindsay, Mary and I applaud their great work and had a great time putting needed care packages together to contribute a small effort as part of - Ron

29/06/2018

New music alert!! We're so proud of Sons of Daughters on their stunning new release, "Can't Find Love In A Bar". Check it out!

26/06/2018

Week 4 of 15: An important charity we love to support is the Unison Benevolent Fund. Unison provides counselling and emergency relief services to the Canadian music industry. Amanda, Sheila and the board of directors have done a great job within the industry rallying the cause and host many great events throughout the year to raise funds and awareness to assist those in need short term or long term.

One of the events is The Unison Music Industry Golf tournament which was held last week at Lionhead Golf Club & Conference Centre in Brampton.

Amber Bell, Open Road’s head of promotions and I took a couple radio folks out again this year and had a blast navigating through what was quite a difficult course. However, the beer cart showed up regularly to guide us and provide us with anti-dehydration products to keep the good times rolling between pars, bogeys and I think one fabulous birdie.

Our FUNtastic golf mates for the day were Bill Toffan, program director and morning co-host on KX947 radio out of Hamilton and Sarah Burke, music programmer at SiriusXM Canada. Bill and his co-host Mellissa are full of laughs and champions for the artists, especially the canucks. Sarah, Jeff and our friends at SiriusXM have been nothing but amazing with initiatives to give our artists and their music attention.

While on subject of radio, we certainly cannot achieve the success for our clients without the amazing support from country radio coast to coast. Amber and the team at Open Road Recordings currently have four singles in the top 25 with Tim Hicks, Hunter Brothers, Madeline Merlo and Dean Brody, not an easy feat.

Happy to support UNISON’s 2018 Golf Tournament as a hole sponsor and as part of . - Ron

26/06/2018

Hunter Brothers have Garth Brooks' stamp of approval! (13:30)

25/06/2018

BEYOND EXCITED for everyone to hear this new country duo and their killer song new song! Sons of Daughters’ “Can’t Find Love In A Bar” is out FRIDAY!

After 3 years of writing songs in Nashville, we are so excited to announce that we will be releasing our first single “ Can’t Find Love In A Bar” this Friday! Produced by Brad Hill & Jimmy Thow 🙌🏼

22/06/2018

Gotta love Tim Hicks.

22/06/2018