RECENT RELEASES
Extended Bio
Years to Burn is an Indie Synth Pop music collaboration between producer and singer-songwriter Janessa van Koppen & electronic music artist Keaton Mason (Jakean). The independent, small town artist’s musical style explores 80’s retro inspired synths with a modern indie flair. Dreamy reverb instrumentals paired with darker lyrics influenced by a range of artists such as Caribou, Coldplay, City & Colour, Daft Punk, Death From Above 1979, Metric, Porter Robinson, Pearly Drops, Sufjan Stevens, Thom Yorke, Yeah Yeah Yeahs & many more.
Together they performed their first public event as the newly formed “Years to Burn” duo at Arts Hub in Historic Downtown Brockville (June 23 2023), at Wàskonenindamàwin: A lighted journey Gee Gee’s Rugby Halftime Show in Ottawa (September 24 2023), and at Songs From The Shed on Spark Street in Ottawa (October 15 2023). Years to Burn’s unreleased track “As Good As it Gets” was previewed on the Friday Morning Special Blend in July to promote Jakean’s collaborative performance with visual artist Annie Socoria at Mirror Mountain Film Festival and is set to release officially on April 5, 2024.
The name ‘Years to Burn’ represents the feeling of looking back at the past with nostalgia and melancholy, the sort of polarising emotion that comes with looking through old photos. The times that have changed, the people that are no longer here, but with gratitude for each moment that happened.
The visuals for the debut release “As Good As It Gets”, is a polaroid photo taken using a dysfunctional vintage camera purchased at a local furniture store that no longer exists. The image that came out was altered in colour, and had burn like marks from the roller pushing too hard against the film as it exposed. The polaroid represents the distorted and fleeting image we get when looking back on the past.
Brief Bio
Years to Burn is an Indie Synth Pop music collaboration between producer and singer-songwriter Janessa van Koppen & electronic music artist Keaton Mason (Jakean). The independent, small town artist’s musical style explores 80’s retro inspired synths with a modern indie flair. Dreamy reverb instrumentals paired with darker lyrics influenced by a range of artists such as Caribou, Coldplay, City & Colour, Daft Punk, Death From Above 1979, Metric, Porter Robinson, Pearly Drops, Sufjan Stevens, Thom Yorke, Yeah Yeah Yeahs & many more.
Contact
yearstoburn@gmail.com
Socials
Instagram: @yearstoburnband
Facebook: yearstoburn
PRESS COVERAGE
”MUSIC INDUSTRY ARTS GRDS ANNOUNCE THEIR DEBUT SINGLE ‘AS GOOD AS IT GETS” - Algonquin Times
“CARDINAL DUO YEARS TO BURN BLENDS GENRES TO CREATE SYNTH-BASED ALBUM”- Brockvilleist
YEARS TO BURN COME OUT OF 'THE DARKNESS' TO RELEASE DEBUT SINGLE
Featuring bouncing bass guitar, 80’s inspired synths, nostalgic melodies
contrasted with a sombre vocal delivery & heavy message - ‘As Good As It Gets’
is set to release April 5 2024.
MEET THE ARTISTS
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One-half of Years to Burn, is Janessa van Koppen is an Indie-folk Songwriter based out of Cardinal, On. Listeners describe Janessa’s music as both emotional and poetic, well complimented by their velvety and haunting voice. Janessa continually works on both solo projects and collaborations including official releases with Vodicy ‘The Garden’ and solo releases ‘Coin’ (2019), & ‘The Back Flowerbed’ featuring Austin Evans (2019).
Inspirations
Big Thief, City & Colour, Death Cab for Cutie, Iron & Wine, Radiohead, Sufjan Stevens,
Janessa has played in many venues & events around the area including Galop Gallery, Brockville Pride, From Here to Infinity Gallery, Spitfire Cafe, The Georgian Dragon, Richards Cafe, Musicfest Brewfest, and frequents local open mics in Downtown Brockville.
In 2019 Janessa represented Algonquin College’s Music Industry Arts program in a split second appearance on a Superbowl commercial, on buses in Ottawa, and billboards all over eastern Ontario as part of the Colleges advertisement campaign.
Past Solo Performance Highlights
23/Oct/15 Jakean, Years to Burn, Janessa van Koppen
@ Songs From The Shed , Ottawa ON23/Jun/2 Mark Bergman, Janessa van Koppen
@ Windmill Brewery, Johnstown ON
22/Jul/30 Jakean, Fanclubwallet, Danielle Allard, Janessa van Koppen
@ The Summer Broadcast, Cardinal ON
18/Jun/23 Ryan James, Janessa van Koppen Live
@ Richard's Coffeehouse, Brockville ON18/Jun/13 Ryan James, Janessa van Koppen Live
@ The Georgian Dragon, Brockville ON
18/May/25 Ryan James, Janessa van Koppen Live
@ Spitfire Cafe, Brockville ON
Vocalist, Songwriter, Musician & Producer
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Keaton Mason (Jakean) is an Oji-Cree First Nations electronic music producer, performer, & musician from Sioux Lookout, Ontario now based in Ottawa. Coming from a small isolated town in Northwestern Ontario, the opportunities for creative outlets were sparse and Jakean needed an outlet. Early on as a young man trying to find purpose they took an interest in electronic dance music production creating tracks both solo and with past project Khione & Jakean.
Inspirations
Boys Noize, Justice, Deadmau5, Daft Punk, i_O, Porter Robinson, MadeonIn 2018, Khione & Jakean shared the stage with Juno award-winning group ’A Tribe Called Red’ for their ‘Rez Tour’ in Sioux Lookout, Ontario. In that same year, they played Thunder Bay’s ‘Love & Kindness Festival’, provided music and video performance for ‘Fire Sculpture & Sound Exhibition’ in Sioux Lookout.
Khione & Jakean’s music has been supported by their area’s local radio station by having their tracks featured on Kenora’s Q.104. Most recently, their music has been featured on Ottawa’s CKDJ 107.9.
Past Performance Highlights
23/Oct/1 Felix Cartal, Jessia, Jakean
@ Panda Game After Party, Ottawa ON23/Sep/30 Jakean @ First Peoples Performance Arts Festival [Royal Theatre] Gananoque ON
23/Jul/21 Jakean, Annie Socoria
@ Mirror Mountain Film Festival, Ottawa ON22/Jul/30 Jakean, Fanclubwallet, Danielle Allard, Janessa van Koppen @ Summer Broadcast, Cardinal ON
22/Jul/17 Jakean, Hopio @ City Sounds, Ottawa ON
21/Oct/30 Vodicy, Jakean @ Devil’s Night, Cardinal ON
18/Aug/04 Khione & Jakean
@ Love & Kindness Festival, Thunder Bay ON18/May/19 A Tribe Called Red, Khione & Jakean
@ Rez Tour, Sioux Lookout ON
Songwriter, Musician & Producer
AS GOOD AS IT GETS REVIEWS
“That was live? I thought it was the new Taylor Swift jam”
“It’s Almost Eerie with the lyrics’ tone and message contrasting with the otherwise dreamy and synth wavy instrumental, but that eeriness is really captivating and thought provoking. There’s a contrast between the lush synthy instrumental and the (in my opinion) slightly somber lyrics and vocal delivery.
The instrumental makes me feel like I’m floating or slowly flying in clouds lit by a sunset, and the vocals make me feel like the night is coming, approaching dusk. I have this image in my head of the clouds turning more purple and blue in colour as the sun sets deeper. I also imagine chasing a sunset in a car but not quite being able to catch it. Like there’s a light that’s fading and you’re trying to follow it, but it fades too fast and you’re left in darkness like the lyrics say. But if you’d like a positive twist, you know that the sun will always rise the next day to bring back the light”
“OMG this is ethereal like Grimes.”
“It’s the perfect summer song for doing anything…
It made me think of someone who was really into someone or something that they gave themselves over to it - but it also makes me think of someone in a bad situation who wants to get out of it. It’s hard to decide because it’s written in a way that it could fit a lot of situations, and that’s probably why it’s going to be really good as well. It relates.”
Past Shows
Neurotypes, Preloved, Salem Mars, Years to Burn Live @ Arts Hub, Brockville ON [June 23 2023]
Years to Burn Live @ Wàskonenindamàwin: A Lighted Journey Gee Gee’s Rugby Halftime Show, Ottawa ON [September 24 2023]
Years to Burn Live @ Songs From The Shed on Spark Street, Ottawa ON [October 15 2023]
Booking & Publicity Contact
Janessa van Koppen
Booking/Publicist
Years to Burn
Email: yearstoburn@gmail.com
Instagram: @yearstoburnband
Facebook: yearstoburn