Ghostly Kisses — the Quebec-based dream pop project of Margaux Sauvé and her partner, Louis-Étienne Santais — have announced a slate of fall North American tour dates, including Canadian stops in Toronto, Quebec City and Montreal.
After recently returning with new single "Strangers," their first release since the 2024 sophomore LP Darkroom, Sauvé and Santais will hit the road starting September 14 in New York City, NY. They'll traverse the US for the remainder of the month before kicking off October on Canadian soil with a giga at the Great Hall in Toronto (October 1).
Ghostly Kisses will wrap the run with a pair of special orchestral performances in their home province, graving the stage at Quebec City's Grand Theatre (October 9) and Montreal's Maison Symphonique (October 16) with the FILMharmonique Orchestra.
Tickets are on sale now. Find the full itinerary — and the video for "Strangers" — below, plus more upcoming Canadian show announcements over at Concert Central.
Ghostly Kisses 2026 Tour Dates:
09/14 New York City, NY - Le Poisson Rouge
09/15 Washington, D.C. - Songbyrd
09/17 Chicago, IL - Schubas Tavern
09/19 Seattle, WA - Numbs
09/20 Portland, OR - Polaris Hall
09/23 San Francisco, CA - The Independent
09/25 Los Angeles, CA - Lodge Room
10/01 Toronto, ON - The Great Hall
10/09 Quebec, QC - Grand Theatre *
10/16 Montreal, QC - Maison Symphonique *
* with FILMharmonique Orchestra
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You wanna touch the earth, break it in your hands? Grow something wild and unruly? It sounds like the part of the natural world you're describing could certainly be the rugged and gorgeous terrain of St. John's — and it just so happens that the capital of Newfoundland and Labrador will be hosting the Chicks this summer at its annual Churchill Park Music Festival.
Running on July 17–18 and 24–25 this year, organizers have just announced that the legendary trio will be the first headliners for the event, supported by Elle King and more names yet to be made public. To be the first to know when more performers are announced, sign up for the Churchill Park Music Festival Insiders Club here.
Tickets for the Chicks' performance on July 18 go on sale April 28 at noon NT.
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New Albany, IN-hailing alternative blues and rock outfit Houndmouth have announced a 2026 North American tour in support of their forthcoming new album Lordy (out July 10 via Dualtone Records). The stint on the road will include a trio of Canadian stops in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto this September.
The band will bring their new material — produced by Brad Cook, and featuring contributions from MJ Lenderman and Iron & Wine — on the road starting with a two-night stand in Paradise Valley, MD, on July 9 and 10, then continuing across the US into early August. After a break, they'll pick things back up on Canadian soil with a September 3 gig at Montreal's Beanfield Theatre, followed by Ontario stops at History Ottawa (September 4) and Toronto's History (September 5).
Tickets go on general sale next Friday (May 1) at 10 a.m. local time, with various presales beginning Thursday (April 30). Check out the full schedule of dates below, as well as Concert Central for more upcoming Canadian shows.
Houndmouth 2026 Tour Dates:
07/09–10 Paradise Valley, MD - Pine Creek Lodge
07/11 Sandy, UT - Sandy Amphitheater
07/13 Tucson, AZ - La Rosa
07/14 Santa Fe, NM - The Bridge
07/16 Oklahoma City, OK - Jones Assembly
07/17 Springfield, MO - Gillioz Theatre
07/24 Des Moines, IA - Val Air Ballroom
07/25 Chicago, IL - Salt Shed
07/27 Grand Rapids, MI - Meijer Gardens
07/29 Allentown, PA - The Archer
08/04 Hudson, NY - Basilica Hudson
08/06 Boston, MA - Roadrunner
08/07 Washington, D.C. - The Anthem
08/08 New York, NY - The Rooftop at Pier 17
09/03 Montreal, QC - Beanfield Theatre
09/04 Ottawa, ON - History Ottawa
09/05 Toronto, ON - History
09/17 Nashville, TN - AmericanaFest
09/18 Chattanooga, TN - The Signal
09/24 Atlanta, GA - The Tabernacle
With Bruno Mars coming to Toronto for a mystifying five arena shows, the pop star has announced that he'll also be bringing a Hello Kitty-themed pop-up store to the city.
The Bruno Mars x Hello Kitty store will be at North York's Yorkdale Mall for the week of May 23 to 30 — the same span in which he will be headlining five shows at Rogers Stadium on May 23, 24, 27, 28 and 30.
According to a press release, "Each pop-up will offer exclusive, limited-edition merchandise available only at these locations and not sold at the stadiums, along with dedicated photo opportunities for fans."
Bruno Mars will be launching Hello Kitty pop-up stores in every city on his tour behind The Romantic.
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If you, like certain members of the Exclaim! staff, have re-entered your GTL era since Canada Shore was released, it's time to get ready for a Shore Summer: DJ Pauly D is coming back to Toronto's Cabana Pool Bar.
The OG Jersey Shore star will make his return to 11 Polson Street on July 25. Fellow DJ Trapment will act as support.
Tickets are on sale now via Cabana's website.
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Thirty years ago, almost to the date, the Tragically Hip released what would go on to become one of their most enduring songs, a track beloved nationwide and beyond: "Ahead by a Century." Released back in 1996 as the lead single for their fifth studio album, Trouble at the Henhouse, the song has now been reimagined by a new generation of Canadian musicians.
Producer Boi-1da has enlisted Ruby Waters and City and Colour's Dallas Green to cover the song for WHAT IF IT ALL GOES RIGHT?, arriving June 5, courtesy of Canada Soccer and Infinity. The project also features the contributions of Alessia Cara, Charlotte Cardin, ekkstacy, Jessie Reyez, Nelly Furtado, Zeds Dead and more.
While there's certainly no topping the original, Green and Waters make the song ache in a new way, their stacked vocals swelling atop syncopated beats as they pay homage to the Canadian classic. As the country collectively thaws ahead of cottage season, revisit one of Gord's many songwriting successes below.
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LCD Soundsystem are going on a quick jaunt across North America late this summer.
The tour starts with its lone Canadian stop at Vancouver's Freedom Mobile Arch on August 7. From there, James Murphy and company will head back south and play Troutdale, OR, and Bonner, MT, before playing two nights at Red Rocks on August 15 and 16, respectively. Feist will join them on those two dates.
After that, the band will travel sporadically, jumping between the coasts while playing Minneapolis, Pasadena, CA, Portland, ME, New Haven, CT, and Asheville, NC. The tour will end with an appearance at Atlanta's Shaky Knees Festival on September 20.
Victoryland will act as support on all non-festival dates. An artist presale will begin April 28 at 10 a.m. local time, and fans can sign up for it via Seated. General on-sale starts May 1, also at 10 a.m. local. Links for individual show sales can be found on LCD Soundsystem's website.
Check out the full run of LCD Soundsystem's summer tour dates below.
LCD Soundsystem 2026 Tour Dates:
08/07 Vancouver, BC - Freedom Mobile Arch
08/08 Troutdale, OR - McMenamins Edgefield Amphitheater
08/09 Troutdale, OR - McMenamins Edgefield Amphitheater
08/12 Bonner, MT - KettleHouse Amphitheater
08/13 Bonner, MT - KettleHouse Amphitheater
08/15 Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre
08/16 Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre
08/18 Minneapolis, MN - The Armory
08/22 Pasadena, CA - Just Like Heaven
09/09 Portland, ME - Thompson's Point
09/10 New Haven, CT - College Street Music Hall
09/11 New Haven, CT - College Street Music Hall
09/12 New Haven, CT - College Street Music Hall
09/17 Asheville, NC - Hellbender
09/20 Atlanta, GA - Shaky Knees Festival
BC interior band Mock Media have announced an album for Mac DeMarco's label. Rat Bastard is due out July 17 via Mac's Record Label, and the title track is out now.
In a statement, singer-guitarist Evan Aasen called the new single "a classic the Cars-inspired rock song to play on the radio while you're in the shop, working on some rusty metal with the radio on in the background. 'Rat Bastard' is a song about everyone having a little rat bastard inside them, acting too wild. A pop rock song for the whole family to enjoy."
In addition to the cars, other sonic references mentioned in a press release include Bruce Springsteen, the Ramones, Bad Brains, Desmond Dekker, the Beatles, Judas Priest, MC5, XTC, New York Dolls and Fleetwood Mac.
The album is available to pre-order here.
Rat Bastard:
1. Mock City Rock
2. Take It
3. Rat Bastard
4. Fell from the Top
5. Crushed
6. City's on Fire
7. White Lion
8. Turn for the World
9. Built for Speed
10. Straight Line
A day after they announced their forthcoming new album Grateful (out June 5), Alabama country outfit the Red Clay Strays are proving exactly how grateful they are — the band have revealed that they'll be taking the new album on the road for a massive North American tour later this year.
After playing several festivals throughout the spring and early summer (including a set at Calgary's Country Thunder on June 27), the headlining tour will officially begin in Columbia, MD, at the end of July. A few days later, they'll pop up to Canada for a show at Laval's Bell Place on August 5, before returning south of the border for another run of US shows.
The band will eventually make their way over to the West Coast by the end of August, where they'll play Vancouver's Rogers Arena on August 30. A month later, they'll return to Canada for a date at Toronto's RBC Amphitheatre on September 30, before continuing the rest of the tour back in the US.
Presales begin next Tuesday (April 28), which will be followed by public on-sale on May 1 at 9 a.m. local. Check out the schedule below, and head over to Concert Central for more Canadian tour announcements.
Red Clay Strays 2026 Tour Dates:
07/30 Columbia, MD - Merriweather Post Pavilion
08/01 Boston, MA - TD Garden *
08/05 Laval, QC - Place Bell *
08/07 Philadelphia, PA - TD Pavilion at Highmark Mann **
08/09 New York, NY - Madison Square Garden **
08/015 Des Moines, IA - Iowa State Fair
08/16 Sioux Falls, SD - Denny Sanford PREMIER Center #
08/18 Grand Forks, ND - Alerus Center #
08/19 Bismarck, ND - Bismarck Event Center #
08/21 Bozeman, MT - Brick Breeden Fieldhouse §
08/22 Missoula, MT - Adams Center #
08/26 Spokane, WA - Numerica Veterans Arena ##
08/27 Seattle, WA - Climate Pledge Arena ##
08/29 Portland, OR - Moda Center ##
08/30 Vancouver, BC - Rogers Arena ##
09/02 West Valley City, UT - Maverik Center #
09/04 Stateline, NV - Lake Tahoe Amphitheatre at Caesars Republic #
09/06 Aspen, CO - Jazz Aspen Snowmass Labor Day Experience
09/11 Sacramento, CA - Golden 1 Center #
09/12 Ontario, CA- Toyota Arena #
09/16 San Diego, CA- Pechanga Arena San Diego #
09/17 Glendale, AZ - Desert Diamond Arena #
09/19 Pryor, OK - Born & Raised Music Festival
09/20 San Antonio, TX - Frost Bank Center +
09/26 Louisville, KY - Bourbon & Beyond +
09/30 Toronto, ON - RBC Amphitheatre *
10/01 Pittsburgh, PA - PPG Paints Arena *
10/03 Grand Rapids, MI - Van Andel Arena *
10/07 Fort Worth, TX - Dickies Arena ++
10/14 Orlando, FL - Kia Center *
10/15 Savannah, GA- Enmarket Arena *
10/17 Charleston, SC - Credit One Stadium *
10/18 Greenville, SC - Bon Secours Wellness Arena *
10/22 Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena ^
10/23 Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena ^
10/28 Knoxville, TN - Food City Center ^^
10/31 Birmingham, AL - Legacy Arena ++
11/05 Baton Rouge, LA - Raising Cane's River Center ‡
11/06 Bossier City, LA - Brookshire Grocery Arena ‡
11/08 Jonesboro, AR - First National Bank Arena ‡
11/13 Atlanta, GA - State Farm Arena ||
* with the Revivalists and Haley Reinhart
** with the Revivalists and Brent Cobb
# with Dylan Gossett and Sweet Talk
§ with Sweet Talk
## with Wyatt Flores and Sweet Talk
+ with Muscadine Bloodline and Sweet Talk
++ with Shane Smith and the Saints and Brent Cobb
^ with Sierra Ferrell and Brent Cobb
^^ with Wyatt Flores and Brent Cobb
‡ with Muscadine Bloodline and Brent Cobb
|| with Travis Tritt and Brent Cobb
One could say that many remarkable things happened during last year's MLB World Series — and Doug Ford suddenly deciding that Ticketmaster is "gouging" people after killing a bill to cap resale prices in 2019 was certainly among them.
Perhaps I'm too cynical (and who can blame me?), but I didn't really think much would come of it. Nevertheless, Bill 97 persists, and today has seen a landmark moment in its movement to amend 2017's Ticket Sales Act: Ticketmaster will be complying with its efforts to limit exorbitant markups on secondary-market ticket sales.
Ontarians who currently have tickets listed for resale on Ticketmaster's secondary marketplace have reportedly received an email saying their listings will be removed in light of the new provincial legal requirements. According to various screenshots circulating on social media, the email reads, "Effective April 23, 2026, tickets in Ontario cannot be resold above the total original cost, including service fees and taxes."
It continues, "Beginning next week, you will be able to relist your tickets in compliance with Ontario's new legal requirements once updates have been made to our resale marketplace."
If you've ever resold a ticket on Ticketmaster, you'll know that you have to upcharge potential buyers due to the cut that the ticketing platform takes in the transaction if you want to break even. It remains to be seen how Ticketmaster's own policies will be integrated into the new Ontario legislation, and whether it will be the one recouping the service fees or the seller.
That said, it's hard to argue this isn't at least somewhat of a win in an extremely broken pandemic-era secondary-market economy, wherein scalpers and their exorbitant markups remain very much at large (case in point: the news about the Harry Styles tour that came out yesterday). Ticketmaster will also presumably be under more pressure than ever to accommodate state-level changes, after a New York federal jury having just found its parent company Live Nation guilty of engaging in monopolistic practices in the live event industry.
As per TicketNews, critics of Bill 97 have argued that capping resale prices could actually harm consumers by undermining regulated marketplaces and further entrenching such aforementioned dominance. As the publication's Dave Clark points out, the new legislation will also require secondary sellers to provide proof of original price when listing a ticket for sale, as well as mandating disclosure of original and resale prices to buyers, compelling secondary market platforms to retain records for a minimum of three years after the event.
Another significant criticism is that the resale price cap is packaged as actually just Schedule 16 of a wider bill, which also moves to rewrite the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA), ending public access to political officials' records to retroactively make Ford, cabinet ministers, parliamentary assistants and their staff exempt from FOI requests. You really couldn't let us have one thing to celebrate, huh Doug?
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Winnipeg dream pop duo sundayclub have announced their debut album. The lowercase band have announced the all-caps LP SUNDAYCLUB, due out July 10 via Paper Bag Records, and shared the single "Camera Shy."
The album follows last year's EP Bannatyne, the release of which landed sundayclub in Exclaim!'s New Faves column. Prior to that, Weakerthans guitarist Stephen Carroll reportedly tipped off Paper Bag about the band, leading to their signing.
SUNDAYCLUB was created over a four-year period, beginning in the basement of singer Courtney Carmichael's family home. "It was extremely fulfilling but also all-consuming and emotionally taxing. While we had the time to experiment and refine things, we also had the time — and maybe too much of it — to overthink, torment, and second-guess ourselves," Carmichael said in a statement.
Check out the dramatically twinkling shoegaze single "Camera Shy" below, along with the album tracklist.
SUNDAYCLUB:
1. Tune In
2. Blue Wave
3. Sad Summer
4. Camera Shy
5. Lombard
6. Turquoise
7. Corydon Ave (To Meet You)
8. Sober
9. Woym?
Once again, Live Nation has announced its summer promotion for $30 concert tickets. The company's Summer of Live deal covers over 300 shows across Canada, with tickets on sale from April 29 to May 5.
The promotion spans smaller shows all the way up to arena dates. Artists include St. Vincent, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Guns N' Roses, Death Cab for Cutie, Billy Talent, Arkells, Bahamas, Alabama Shakes, Good Kid, Creed, Blue Rodeo, Chicago, Arlo Parks, Big Sugar, Karan Aujla, the Guess Who, Deep Purple, 5 Seconds of Summer, Leith Ross, Kevin Morby, Meet Me @ the Altar, Mötley Crüe, Maribou State, Sam Roberts Band, Sean Paul, Social Distortion, the Sheepdogs, the Black Crowes, bbno$, the Pussycat Dolls, Steve Earle, Mannequin Pussy, Amyl and the Sniffers, Ne-Yo and Akon, and Black Country, New Road.
Get more information over at livenation.ca/summeroflive, where it's possible to filter by city and search for specific artists.
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SYML — the folk-pop project of Seattle-based musician and producer Brian Fennell — has announced an upcoming run of North American tour dates supporting his third LP Nobody Lives Here, set to include a couple of Canadian stops in Winnipeg and Vancouver this fall in addition to previously announced appearances at a pair of festivals here in Canada.
After a special duo performance with Brian Eichelberger in Boulder, CO, this August, Fennell's solo run proper will kick off on September 25 in Washington, D.C. The following month, he'll make his first venture across the Canadian border to play Winnipeg's Burton Cummings Theatre on October 9.
Following a return to Canada at the beginning of the month for a gig at Vancouver's Commodore Ballroom on November 5, SYML will wrap the trek on November 7 in Los Angeles, CA. Tickets go on sale to the general public next Friday (May 1) at 10 a.m. local time, while presales begin April 29. See the full routing below, and visit Concert Central for more upcoming Canadian shows.
SYML 2026 Tour Dates:
05/08 Mont-Tremblant, QC - BLOOMAFEST
07/25 Calgary, AB - Calgary Folk Fest
08/05 Boulder, CO - Chautauqua Auditorium *
09/25 Washington, D.C. - The Atlantis +
09/26 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse +
09/27 Dallas, TX - Texas Theatre +
10/08 Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall +
10/09 Winnipeg, MB - Burton Cummings Theatre +
10/10 Minneapolis, MN - Cedar Cultural Center +
11/05 Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom +
11/06 San Francisco, CA - The Castro Theatre +
11/07 Los Angeles, CA - The Bellwether +
* special duo performance with Brian Eichelberger
+ solo performance
A new free(!) music festival is headed for the shores of Lake Ontario this summer: MRG Live has announced Lakeshore Music & Arts Festival, a multi-stage celebration of local music, artisans and food bound for Burlington's Spencer Smith Park this June 20 and 21.
The first wave of artists scheduled to perform at the fest has now been revealed, and includes Walk Off the Earth, the Trews, the Dirty Nil and Katie Tupper.
Lakeshore Music & Arts Festival will also feature a dedicated Family Zone, as well as midway rides and games, food trucks, and artisan vendors. VIP tickets are on sale now, and you can visit the festival website for more information.
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Canada's largest independent music store, Sonic Boom, is due to celebrate its 25th anniversary next month with a festival-style show at Toronto's St. Anne's Parish Hall across two floors of programming.
Heading to the West End venue on May 9 are the Sadies, Kiwi Jr., Badge Époque Ensemble, Roach, the Get Alongs, Paste and Sun Parker. There are also "special guests" lined up, though their identities remain a mystery for now.
"Almost 20 years ago, we had a punk band from the Middle East, the Monotonix, play at the store," founder and owner Jeff Barber shared. "They kept playing as they — along with the crowd — spilled out into the street, stopping traffic and climbing onto the hoods of cars. It was 'thriving on chaos,' and in some ways, that's what we've been doing for the last quarter century."
He added, "It may be an overused term, but this anniversary carries a real sense of gratitude. I never could have imagined where we'd be today, so I can't claim to know what tomorrow holds — but I'm excited for whatever comes next."
Co-presented by Wavelength, tickets to the bash are available via DICE now.
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Amid the psyop allegations and Cameron Winter hanging out with Olivia Rodrigo, Geese's feathers remain unruffled. Hot on the heels of their Coachella performances, the band have announced a fall North American tour supporting last year's zeitgeist-defining Getting Killed, one of the best albums of 2025, which will include a lone Canadian gig in Toronto this November.
As SPIN reports, the Getting Killed Again Tour is slated to begin September 29 in Nashville, TN. After traversing the US through October, Geese will kick off the following month by crossing the border into Canada to play Toronto's History on November 3 before wrapping the stint on the road on November 10 in Boston, MA.
Tickets go on general sale May 1, with presales starting April 29; sign up here for access. Check out the full schedule of dates below, and visit Concert Central to find out about more upcoming Canadian shows.
Geese 2026 Tour Dates:
09/29 Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
09/30 Asheville, NC - Hellbender
10/02 Queens, NY - Forest Hills Stadium
10/06 Mexico City, MX - Teatro Metropólitan
10/08 Phoenix, AZ - Arizona Financial Theatre
10/09–11 Arcosanti, AZ - FORM Arcosanti Festival
10/13 San Diego, CA - Gallagher Square at Petco Park
10/15 Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Forever
10/16 Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Forever
10/19 Oakland, CA - Fox Theater
10/22 Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre
10/25 Live Oak, FL - Suwanee Hulaween Music Festival
10/27 Salt Lake City, UT - The Rockwell at The Complex
10/28 Denver, CO - Mission Ballroom
10/30 Kansas City, MO - The Midland Theatre
10/31 Chicago, IL - The Salt Shed
11/03 Toronto, ON - History
11/06 Washington, D.C. - The Anthem
11/07 Philadelphia, PA - The Fillmore
11/10 Boston, MA - Roadrunner
Is playing an instrument good for your health? The answer is yes, according to Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Max Scherzer, who credits playing piano with helping him to rehab a sore thumb last year.
"I was just trying to get my kids to play the piano," Scherzer told USA Today. "All right, I've got to learn a few songs to teach them now to play the piano. And when I did that, I noticed, oh, my fingers are sore from playing the piano. And I go pitch, and I'm like, 'Wait a minute, my thumb's better.'"
He continued, "I played a little bit more, played more with the kids, and my hand's even better. I'm like, 'Oh my gosh, did I finally figure this out?' So I chased it. I tried to play as long as I can, and my fingers are really sore in between starts. Then, I get back out there, and my thumb pain was gone."
Before that, Scherzer was dealing with what he called a "career-threatening injury" to his thumb. He said he did "every grip strength exercise I could to address it," but that his thumb kept hurting, which would then cause him to blow out his shoulder.
"Why it works is because playing the piano is making you work through your fingertips,'' Scherzer said. "So, all of the grip strength exercises that we do goes through more of the palm of your hand and up higher. I needed my fingertips for the lower part of my hand. So, playing the piano was giving me a lot of finger strength."
He now travels with a keyboard in order to continue working out his thumb. Evidently he's a rap fan, since songs he's been playing include Dr. Dre's "Still D.R.E.," Eminem's "Lose Yourself," Meek Mill's "Dreams and Nightmares" and Kanye West's "Heartless."
"I have to play the piano if I want to keep pitching. If I don't do it, my thumb issue will come right back," he said. "Amazing what a piano is doing for my career."
At 41 years old, Mad Max is currently the second-oldest player in Major League Baseball. He has won three Cy Young Awards, pitched two no-hitters, and is 11th on the all-time strikeout list; he's only 10 strikeouts away from cracking the Top 10.
Of course, he was a key part of the Blue Jays' 2025 World Series run. He started two games in the World Series, and had a playoffs ERA of 3.77.
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After kicking off the year by graduating from Exclaim!'s Class of 2026 concert series and the release of their highly anticipated sophomore album Something We All Got, Toronto twee pop breakouts cootie catcher are officially going international: they've announced tour that will take them across North America this summer and the UK in the fall, the former leg including a pair of late-June Canadian stops in Victoria and Vancouver.
The band will kick off their summer months on the road on June 19 in Kalamazoo, MI. They'll then cross the border back into their home country just over a week later for gigs at Victoria's Friendship Hall (June 27) and Vancouver's Green Auto. From there, cootie catcher continue across the US through the first couple weeks of July, then head overseas in November.
Tickets go on sale tomorrow (April 24) at 10 a.m. ET. Find the full itinerary below, plus more upcoming Canadian shows via Concert Central.
cootie catcher 2026 Tour Dates:
06/19 Kalamazoo, MI - Factory Coffee
06/20 Milwaukee, WI - Sky High Skate Shop
06/21 Minneapolis, MN - Cloudland
06/22 Fargo, ND - The Aquarium
06/24 Butte, MT - KBMF (the carpenters union hall)
06/26 Seattle, WA - Vera Project (Gallery Stage)
06/27 Victoria, BC - Friendship Hall
06/28 Vancouver, BC - Green Auto
06/30 Portland, OR - Turn Turn Turn
07/02 Nevada City, CA - Sans Back Up Plan
07/03 San Francisco, CA - The Knockout
07/05 Los Angeles, CA - Permanent Records
07/07 Las Vegas, NV - The Griffin
07/08 Salt Lake City, UT - Temple Of Friends
07/09 Denver, CO - The DMV
07/10 Lincoln, NE - TBD
07/11 Des Moines, IA - The Local
07/12 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
11/01 Brighton, UK - The Hope & Ruin
11/02 Bristol, UK - The Croft
11/03 Leeds, UK - Lending Room
11/04 Edinburgh, UK - Sneaky Pete's
11/05 Liverpool, UK - Quarry
11/06 Manchester, UK - YES
11/08 Oxford, UK - O2 Academy 2 *
11/09 Southampton, UK - Heartbreakers
* with 60 Juno
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Taylor Kirk, the singer-songwriter behind the long-running folk-noir project Timber Timbre, has died at the age of 44.
A representative for Kirk confirmed to Exclaim! that the artist died early last week. His family said in a statement that he "passed away suddenly on April 14th. We are devastated by the profound loss of Taylor and we will miss him immensely."
The statement continues, "His memory will live on through his music that we are fortunate to have for the rest of our lives."
Timber Timbre released a series of albums over the past two decades. His third album, 2009's self-titled Timber Timbre, was a critical breakthrough, getting long listed for the Polaris Music Prize and earning placements in TV shows. He was then signed to Arts & Crafts, followed by City Slang Records. Timber Timbre was on the cover of Exclaim! in 2011, when he released that year's Creep on Creepin' On.
His most recent album was 2023's Lovage.
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Bestselling Canadian author Rachel Reid — author of Heated Rivalry and the larger Game Changers book series, the source material behind Jacob Tierney's hit Crave show — will be honoured with the Changemaker Award at the upcoming Hollywood Reporter Women in Entertainment Canada Summit & Awards Gala next month in Toronto.
According to press notes, Reid — who is from Nova Scotia — is being recognized as an "individual whose impact extends beyond their work, inspiring meaningful change across the industry." By placing LGBTQ+ stories and relationships at the forefront of her work, Reid has helped shape a "more dynamic and forward-looking entertainment landscape" that has become a "defining moment for the Canadian industry." Additionally, the success of the Crave series also highlighted the growing impact of Canadian creators, including the musicians featured in its soundtrack.
The gala will be held on May 28 at the Ritz-Carlton Toronto. Reid will also take the stage for an exclusive interview at the event, where she will offer insight into her creative journey, the evolution of her work and the "broader implications of storytelling in today's landscape." Tickets are available to purchase here.
The third book in Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov's story is expected to arrive in June 2027. The release date was delayed after Reid cited issues with Parkinson's disease, and a "lack of free time to write" since the release of the Crave series.
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Remember when Harry Styles announced his Canada-skipping international residency tour, and people — Liam Gallagher among them — were outraged over the ticket prices? Surprise, surprise: it turns out that many of said tickets (thousands, in fact) were scooped up by scalpers. What may actually surprise you, though, is that Ticketmaster is working with the pop star and his team to sell them to actual fans for the prices they were originally listed at.
Perhaps it's some damage control following parent company Live Nation being found to have illegally monopolized the ticketing market, and/or Ticketmaster launching that app within ChatGPT, but whatever their motives, Ticketmaster issued a statement today addressing ticketholders for Styles's Together, Together Tour dates behind Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally. in New York, NY, with the former boybander set to take over Madison Square Garden for over a month.
"We caught scalpers using multiple accounts and fake identities to try to get around ticket limits and resell tickets for profit," Ticketmaster Global President Samuel Mehta wrote in a statement, in an effort to be more transparent with the public about "how ticketing actually works," as he put it.
"We've cancelled those tickets, none of which had been transferred to fans, and we are working with the tour to release them back to fans at the original price," Mehta continued. "You may have seen us take similar action on other tours recently. It's all part of our broader effort to identify and catch more bad actors, enforce the rules of the sale and permanently ban accounts that violate them."
The original all-in prices set by Styles's tour (including fees) are apparently all under $130 USD, with 77 percent priced at less than $95 each and 19 percent at less than $50. Anyone can request tickets for the Madison Square Garden concerts between April 30 and May 1, but those who bought tickets for the Madison Square Garden concerts from scalpers but hadn't yet received transferred or resale tickets (or who otherwise don't currently have tickets) will be prioritized.
Many fans in the replies on the social media platform formerly known as X are questioning why they paid hundreds or thousands of dollars for tickets when the prices were originally supposed to be capped at $130. "Scalpers often target tickets that are the lowest price so they can flip them for the biggest markup," Ticketmaster has written in response multiple times, attempting to explain that the seats included in the campaign are only a limited subset of what was originally sold — which makes sense, but it's still a bummer that so many people decided to go through with paying through the nose for other tiers of tickets!
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French psych band Slift are due to release their new album Fantasia, out June 5 via Sub Pop, and now the band have announced that they'll be taking the record on the road this fall.
The tour begins October 6 in Boston, and includes a lone Canadian date at Toronto's Lee's Palace on October 10. The North American leg wraps up in Los Angeles on the 24th, after which, Slift will head back across the pond for a UK/European tour through the end of the year and into 2027.
Tickets go on sale this Friday, April 24, at 10 a.m. local time.
Check out their latest album preview "A Storm of Wings" below, where you'll also find the band's tour itinerary.
Slift 2026 Tour Dates:
10/06 Boston, MA - The Sinclair
10/07 New York, NY - Le Poisson Rouge (LPR)
10/08 Washington, DC - The Atlantis
10/09 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
10/10 Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace
10/11 Detroit, MI - El Club
10/13 Chicago, IL - Outset
10/14 Saint Paul, MN - Turf Club
10/16 Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater
10/20 Seattle, WA - Neumos
10/21 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
10/23 San Francisco, CA - August Hall
10/24 Los Angeles, CA - Pacific Electric
Dutch EDM group Tinlicker will make their North American debut as a fully live trio this fall, supporting their latest album Dreams of the Machine. The trek is set to include stops in a few Canadian cities, including Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.
The stint on the road begins September 16 in Chicago, IL. Tinlicker will make their first venture across the border into Canada shortly afterward, with back-to-back concerts at Toronto's History scheduled for September 18 and 19, followed by a Montreal gig at MTELUS on September 24.
From there, the outfit will continue making their way across the US before eventually returning to Canadian soil for the tour's penultimate date at Vancouver's Vogue Theatre on October 17, then wrapping the run the following night in Seattle, WA.
Tickets go on general sale May 1, with presales beginning April 30; sign up here for access. Check out the full routing below, as well as Concert Central to find out about more upcoming Canadian shows.
Tinlicker 2026 Tour Dates:
09/16 Chicago, IL - House of Blues
09/17 Detroit, MI - Saint Andrew's Hall
09/18 Toronto, ON - History
09/19 Toronto, ON - History
09/22 Washington, D.C. - 9:30 Club
09/24 Montreal, QC - MTELUS
09/25 Boston, MA - Roadrunner
09/26 New York, NY - Brooklyn Paramount
09/29 Dallas, TX - House of Blues
09/30 Austin, TX - Emo's - Austin
10/01 Houston, TX - House of Blues
10/03 Denver, CO - Fillmore Auditorium
10/04 Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot
10/07 Phoenix, AZ - The Van Buren
10/08 San Diego, CA - House of Blues
10/09 Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
10/10 San Francisco, CA - The Midway
10/13 Boise, ID - Knitting Factory
10/15 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
10/16 Vancouver, BC - Vogue Theatre
10/17 Seattle, WA - Showbox SoDo
Set against the backdrop of Alberta's Rocky Mountains, Canmore Folk Festival is celebrating 49 years of live music from August 1 to 3, and its organizers have unveiled the roster of artists performing at Centennial Park on 5th Avenue this year.
The 2026 edition of the festivities will include headlining sets from AHI, Barney Bentall, Begonia, Cat Clyde, Miko Marks, the Felice Brothers, Sarah Harmer, Steve Poltz, Wild Rivers and William Prince.
The lineup is further rounded out by Ahmed Moneka, Aladean Kheroufi, Allison De Groot & Tatiana Hargreaves, Angela Autumn, Anna Tivel, Bob Sumner, Brianna Lizotte, Cave Arcade, Caamaño&Ameixeiras, Carter Felker, Cécile Doo-Kingué, Cousin Harley, Devan, Diyet and the Love Soldiers, Field Guide, J Tex, Janky Bungag, Joce Reyome, Kutcha Edwards & Shellie Morris, Madeleine Roger, Mia Kelly, Morgan Toney, Nurdjana, Petunia & the Vipers, Seth Anderson, Steve Dawson & the Hooded Mergansers, Supalung, the Dust Collectors, the Pairs, the Three Sisters, Twonees, Sandy Lecour, Side Hustle and more.
Single-day and weekend passes are on sale now. Children 12 and under are admitted free, though they'll still require a wristband. Get your tickets here.
Out-of-town attendees can hop aboard the Folk Fest Express Bus from Calgary for $35 roundtrip or take the Banff Airporter.
See the event poster below, and head to the festival's website for more information.
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Grouper has announced her return with a mini North American tour this fall, taking Liz Harris to six cities across the US and Canada this fall.
The limited outing will begin with a festival set in Chicago, IL, on September 6. A few days later, Harris will head north of the border for two Canadian shows at Toronto's Concert Hall (September 8) and Montreal's Outremont Theatre (September 10) before continuing the rest of the tour stateside.
It's unclear whether the tour will be in support of any new material; Harris's most recent album remains 2021's Shade.
Tickets will go on sale this Friday (April 24) at 10 a.m. local time. Check out the itinerary below, and head over to Concert Central for more Canadian tour announcements.
Grouper 2026 Tour Dates:
09/06 Chicago, IL - Sound & Gravity Festival
09/08 Toronto, ON - The Concert Hall
09/10 Montreal, QC - Theatre Outremont
09/12 Kingston, NY - Old Dutch Church
09/16 New York, NY - Torn Hall
09/19 Washington, D.C. - Lincoln Theatre