Often transcending genres, Bywater Call is known for their dynamic, emotional live shows, featuring powerful vocals and exciting interplay between all band members. A powerhouse seven-piece Southern soul, roots rock outfit from Toronto, Canada; the band is comprised of Meghan Parnell (vocals), Dave Barnes (guitar), Bruce McCarthy (drums), Mike Meusel (bass), newest member, Andrew Moljgun (keys), Stephen Dyte (trumpet), and Julian Nalli (tenor sax).
Bywater Call was nominated for the “2025 UK Blues Award” for “International Blues Artist of the Year” for the second consecutive year, alongside artists including Beth Hart and Walter Trout. The band has also received multiple Independent “Blues and Canadian Maple Blues Award” nominations including “Entertainer,” “Electric Act,” and “Best Female Vocalist” at the 2024 Awards Season.
In March, Bywater Call played their second Joe Bonamassa “Keeping the Blues Alive” cruise, featuring headliners Big Head Todd and the Monsters and Larkin Poe. In 2025, they play the Netherland’s BOSPOP Festival alongside the likes of the Black Keys, Warren Haynes Band, Marcus King, and Blackberry Smoke.
The band has opened for Canadian award-winning musicians Whitehorse and Tom Cochrane, and singer Meghan has joined renowned pedal-steel guitarist Robert Randolph on stage at his request.
Their newest studio album “Shepherd” was selected as the Blues Album of the Year by UK’s Classic Rock Magazine. Band leaders Meghan Parnell and Dave Barnes were featured on the cover of Blues in Britain in January of 2025. Their 2025 live album Sunshine was released in August 2025 to rave reviews.
In 2024 alone, the band played 140 shows across 10 countries. Bywater Call’s music is an exploration of life’s highs and lows. From intimate ballads that lay bare the complexities of human emotion to electrifying anthems that demand to be played at full volume, their catalogue is a journey through human experience, featuring influences from the likes of The Band, The Wood Brothers, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Otis Redding, Little Feat, Sly and the Family Stone, and many more.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.livewiremusic.org ’
