On Friday, January 9th, Canadian Roots, Rock, and Soul band Bywater Call are excited to announce the release of their first studio single of 2026, ‘Only‘.
The single is available on all streaming platforms – here.
‘Only‘ is a throwback to the timeless soul anthems of the 60’s and 70’s. Featuring Meghan Parnell’s signature smokey vocals and a smooth, slow groove, this losing-of-love song is a heartfelt plea to remain together, while attempting to downplay the pain of breaking up.
The emotional melody, accompanied by the rich background vocals of Joanna Mohammed (Aphrose) and Claire Davis, captures perfectly the feeling of loving more than being loved.
Reminiscent of the classic artists of the genre, ‘Only‘ is infused with modern influences such as Adele and Amy Winehouse.
“‘Only‘ is a simple, yet emotionally powerful tune,” says guitarist and co-writer Dave Barnes. “It shows off a sweet, softer side of Meg’s usual powerhouse vocals.”
The song was recorded at Palace Studios in Toronto, captured and mixed by Patric McGroarty, and mastered by Kristian Montano of Montano Mastering.
Often transcending genres, Bywater Call is known for their dynamic, emotional live shows, featuring powerful vocals and exciting interplay between all band members.
In their August 2024 issue, Classic Rock made Bywater Call’s 2024 album ‘Shepherd‘ (review here) their “Blues Album of the Month” and said it was “an inventive and uncommonly catchy record,” and added, “the sense of a band on the brink is unmistakable.” The album won “Top Blues Album of the Year” in the magazine’s year-end round-up.
In early 2025 Bywater Call received a nomination at the UK Blues Awards for “International Act of the Year” for the second year in a row.
The band will be on tour throughout Europe, the USA and Canada in 2026.
2026 Tour Dates
**More dates to be announced
More information can be found – here
Canada and USA:
Jan 22 | New Orleans, LA | Folk Alliance International
Jan 31 | Erin, ON | The Busholme
Feb 26 | Burlington, ON | Burlington Performing Arts Centre
Mar 20 | Safety Harbor, FL | SHAMc
Mar 21 | Boca Raton, FL | Funky Biscuit
Mar 25-29 | Miami, FL | Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea
Apr 2 | Hagerstown, MD | Live at Hub City Vinyl
Apr 3 | Tuckerton, NJ | Lizzie Rose Music Room
Apr 4 | New York, NY | Iridium
Apr 23| Syracuse, NY | 443 Club at the Hosmer Auditorium
Apr 25 | Drummondville. QC | Maison des arts Desjardins Drummondville
Europe:
14-May | Dudenhofen Germany | Kulturverein Dudenhofen
15-May | Rimsting Germany | Feuerwehrhaus
16-May | Affalter Germany | Zur Linde
17-May | Regensburg Germany | VAZ Pfarrheim
19-May | Norderstedt Germany | Music Star
20-May | Bremen Germany | Meisenfrei
21-May | Werchter Belgium | Blue Rooster
22-May | Weert Netherlands | De Bosuil
23-May | Unna Germany | Lindenbrauerei
24-May | Raalte Netherlands | Ribs & Blues Festival
26-May | Leiden, Netherlands | Qbus
27-May | Verviers Belgium | Spirit of 66
28-May | Krefeld Germany | Kulturrampe
29-May | Haarlem Netherlands | Patronaat
30-May | Tilburg Netherlands | Heyhoef
31-May | Aalten Netherlands| LSA Music
2-Jun | Arnstadt Germany | Kulisse
3-Jun | Aschaffenburg Germany| Colos-Saal
4-Jun | Köln Germany | Die Kantine / Freideck
5-Jun | Luxemburg Luxemburg | Blues Club
6-Jun | Riotord France | Climax Club Legend
7-Jun | Le Thor France | Sonograf
9-Jun | Chambery France | Brin de Zinc
13-Jun | Penmarch France | God Save The Kouign Festival
About Bywater Call
Meghan Parnell (vocals) and Dave Barnes (guitar) are the founding members of Bywater Call, a powerhouse seven-piece Southern soul, roots rock band from Toronto, Canada. The band also features Bruce McCarthy (drums), Mike Meusel (bass), John Kervin (keyboards), Stephen Dyte (trumpet), and Julian Nalli (tenor sax).
Bywater Call has received multiple Independent Blues and Maple Blues Award nominations including Entertainer, Electric Act and Best Female Vocalist for the 2024 Awards Season. They have toured extensively in Europe where shows have been praised by Dutch, German, and UK media, with references to Meghan as one of the best female voices in blues and roots today.
In August 2023, the band participated in Joe Bonamassa’s third Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea Mediterranean Cruise alongside headliners Blackberry Smoke and Christone “Kingfish” Ingram. They were invited to perform at the All-Star Jam on the mainstage with Bonamassa himself. Guitarist Dave Barnes was also asked to join legendary blues artist Jimmy Vivino (Conan O’Brien’s Basic Cable Band) on stage.
Bywater Call have commanded festival stages in Canada and around the world, often referred to as the “find of the fest”. In May of 2023, they opened for Canadian Award-winning band Whitehorse at the inaugural Smokestack Music Festival in Hamilton, Ontario. In July, Meghan joined renowned pedal-steel guitarist Robert Randolph on stage at his request, at the Briggs Farm Festival in Nescopeck, PA.
On October 24, 2023, Bywater performed a live stream performance on the German TV show and festival Rockpalast.
In 2023, the band played a total of 96 shows in 10 countries, 89 Cities, 19 US States and 3 Canadian Provinces. This is not including a month-long duo tour in Europe and the UK where Meghan and Dave opened for Southern California rockers Robert Jon & The Wreck, who have recently partnered with Joe Bonamassa’s Journeyman Records.
