Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson may be in the middle of their massive 50 Something reunion world tour right now, but that doesn't mean they're immune from catching polka dot fever; the Rush bandmates made a recent appearance on Chile's Radio Futuro, and when asked if they've listened to fellow Canuks Angine de Poitrine, Lee responded, "Of course! We love them."
Speaking with Patricio Cuevas, Lee said, "I think they're fantastic. I love the fact that they've gone viral, because they're so unusual, peculiar, idiosyncratic. It's a sound that no one's heard before. They've taken Primus and a bit of Rush and all the complexities and sort of boiled it down to a two-piece band using an incredible array of technology and pedals."
He continued, "That's the most entertaining and exhilarating bits of music that I've heard for a long, long time. And think most people that hear them find it somehow infectious, and I don't mean that like it's poisonous. I mean good infectious."
Lifeson added, "There's something very hypnotic about their arrangements and how they write, how they present the music. You know, using the looping pedals to create a bass line, and then guitar lines over it, and keep building on it. And above all, they're just great players; they really play their instruments so well, and that whole microtonal approach just makes it sound so exotic and Middle Eastern, and just mesmerizing."
"And the drummer has a bigger nose than me, so I love it," Lee joked.
Rush are the most recent inductees to Angine's star-studded fanbase, which also includes deadmau5, Jack White, Shania Twain and Metallica's Lars Ulrich.
Watch the interview below. The Angine talk begins at 15:34, and Lifeson even mimics the band's alien language at 17:54.
Toronto nostalgia party band Dwayne Gretzky are compiling some of their live-off-the-floor performances into a covers album. Dwayne's World Vol. 1 is out September 15, with a vinyl release coming September 18.
The record is a collection of 20 songs from their Dwayne's World YouTube series, recorded in the series' titular studio. In typical Dwayne Gretzky fashion, the chosen tracks span from the '70s to the '90s, with plenty of genre diversity.
Pre-orders can be made here. Check out the entire tracklist for Dwayne's World Vol. 1 below.
Dwayne's World Vol. 1:
1. You Can Call Me Al
2. Radio Ga Ga
3. The Best
4. I Love You Always Forever
5. Under Pressure
6. You Get What You Give
7. What a Fool Believes
8. Take on Me
9. 9 to 5
10. The Chain
11. Roam
12. Once in a Lifetime
13. Alone
14. Jump
15. Always Be My Baby
16. Tom Sawyer
17. Whip It
18. Piece of My Heart
19. Automatic
20. In Your Eyes
It's been a whirlwind week for Phoebe Bridgers. First, she released her album Lost Weekend to rave reviews on Friday (August 14), then she turned 32 on Monday (August 17), and now she's had to delay her live shows in support of the LP due to appendicitis.
This morning, Bridgers posted a hospital selfie on her Instagram Story along with the caption, "I got appendicitis for my birthday. Everything in the UK this week will have to move but I'll make it up to you!!!!"
Bridgers played two intimate shows in London on Monday. She had been due to play a pair of dates in Kingston today, followed by Brighton tomorrow (August 20) and Bristol on Friday (August 21).
She's due to hit the road in North America in a month, kicking off in Indianapolis on September 14. The trek includes Canadian stops in Toronto and Vancouver. All of those shows are still scheduled to go ahead, as of this writing. See the dates here.
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History 2: Electric Boogaloo is finally here. The Ottawa location of the Drake-owned History has opened its doors today.
Located at 47 Rideau Street in the ByWard Market, the space in Canada's capital is slightly smaller than its Toronto counterpart. It has a capacity of 2,000, compared with Toronto's 2,500.
Over 200 events have already been announced for the venue, starting with the Wallflowers performing tomorrow night (August 20). See the list of shows and get tickets via History Ottawa's website, or at Concert Central, powered by Exclaim!
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As previously hinted at, old pals Hannah Georgas and Lyn Heinemann have tapped into a new musical venture they've dubbed So Faint. The duo's debut, self-titled album arrives October 16 through Georgas's newly founded Beetle Bomb Records.
"I've been thinking about putting out music on my own label for a while," Georgas explained in a release. "I've watched the way music gets released change so much since I first started out, and now so much of that process falls on the artist. For me, it felt exciting to build a team I really know and trust and create something that feels personal. At the end of the day, I just want to put this music out into the world. I've worked really hard on it with Lyn, and I'm excited for people to hear it."
Today, they've previewed the forthcoming debut with new single "Fully Slow." It features production from Sean Sroka, engineering by Graham Walsh, and mixing by Alex Farrar.
The song is about "wanting someone who you know deep down will never want you back, but still fantasizing that they do," according to Heinemann. "I've always been very prone to pointless intense crushes that remain completely internalized. I can construct a full storyline about what might happen and never do a single thing about it."
Hear the track below, where you'll also find the album tracklist and upcoming tour dates, including fall shows in Guelph, Hamilton, Toronto, Kingston, Ottawa and Vancouver.
So Faint:
1. Assistant Theme
2. Fully Slow
3. Begin Again
4. Chain Chain Chain
5. Devotion Is a Mess
6. Dreamlike
7. Economist
8. Favourite
9. Temporary Mirror
10. Say the End
So Faint 2026 Tour Dates:
10/20 Guelph, ON - Sonic Hall
10/21 Hamilton, ON - Mills Hardware
10/22 Toronto, ON - Lula Lounge
10/23 Kingston, ON - Broom Factory
10/24 Ottawa, ON - Rainbow Bistro
11/06 Vancouver, BC - The Fox Cabaret
Geese are still touring behind their monumental 2025 album Getting Killed, but frontman Cameron Winter is striking out on his own for a live release. Live at Carnegie Hall arrives October 9 via Partisan Records.
The show took place at the famed New York City venue on December 11, 2025. The 11-song tracklist includes six songs from his 2024 album Heavy Metal, two pre-album singles ("Take It with You" and "Vines") and three new songs ("It All Fell in the River," "Emperor XIII in Shades" and "If You Turn Back Now"). He also performed the Heavy Metal cut "Drinking Age" at the show, but it's missing from this release.
Paul Thomas Anderson and Benny Safdie were spotted filming the show, but there's still no word on whether or how that footage will be released, since Live at Carnegie Hall is currently audio-only.
The inner sleeve of the vinyl shows Winter making out with Andrew Carnegie. It's available to pre-order here.
Live at Carnegie Hall:
1. It All Fell in the River
2. Try as I May
3. Emperor XIII in Shades
4. The Rolling Stones
5. Love Takes Miles
6. Cancer of the Skull
7. If You Turn Back Now
8. Nina + Field of Cops
9. $0
10. Take It with You
11. Vines
Something tells me Jack White isn't taking Charley Crockett entirely seriously. While Crockett continues to crash out about his decision to remove Satanic doo-wop duo Twin Temple as his opener (and White's subsequent invitation for the band to open for him), White has issued his own response: quoting the 1984 hip-hop novelty song "Rappin' Duke."
UPDATE (8/19, 5:30 p.m. ET): Crockett simply refuses to log off. He's posted another likely-to-be-deleted Instagram ramble beginning, "Hey Jack, you might get 6 into me before I get 1 into you but I don't miss." From there, he quotes JAY-Z, brags about not trusting the media and throws in vague tough-guy-isms like, "If you want the smoke, I'm your man." Okey dokey then...
UPDATE (8/19, 1:40 p.m. ET): Crockett is still being weird on Instagram. He posted a clip from the 1961 movie One-Eyed Jack in which Marlon Brando says, "You're a one-eyed jack around here, Dad. I seen the other side of your face."
The comments are predominantly people telling him to log off and take the L.
Responding to Crockett's latest Instagram ramble in which he accused White of using the Twin Temple controversy to sell tickets, saying, "I lost a lot of respect for him," White wrote, "I never said nothing about this young buck before but since he's trying to drag me into this here rodeo again, here's my official response to Cowboy Charley's accusations."
For said response, he simply quoted "Rappin' Duke" — not quite the full thing, but most of it (before presumably being cut off by Instagram's character limit).
The lyrics to "Rappin' Duke" may have some significance on the situation. The opening lines are, "So you think you're bad, with your rap / Well I'll tell ya pilgrim I started the crap / When you were in diapers and wetting the sheets," which seems like an apt depiction of White as the elder statesman in this situation (although Crockett is 42, so he's not really that much younger than the 51-year-old White).
There are also some lines about "politicians taking a sip" and "high tax and plenty Cadillacs," which vaguely evoke the political nature of Crockett's rants. But this is "Rappin' Duke" we're talking about, so it's not worth examining too deeply.
Meanwhile, Crockett has since deleted his post.
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Straight from the Inland Empire, San Bernardino hardcore outfit Big Ass Truck have announced a headlining North American tour.
The band had recently supported No Cure on their tour, with a lone Canadian stop last July at the Hard Luck Bar in Toronto. Same as before, Truck will only be stopping at Hard Luck on this run, with no other Canadian dates. (I'm shocked they can fit a truck that big in there, to be honest.)
They will be joined on this tour by Chamber from Nashville, and Mugshot from San Jose. The tour is chock full of all sorts of hardcore, metalcore and beatdown, a tour tailor-made for anyone who wants to get into some violent moshing.
BIG ASS TRUCK themselves are a great demonstration of maxing out how heavy and ignorant you can make a band while still maintaining a bit of self-awareness. After all, this is the band Big Ass Truck, who made the hit single, "BIG ASS TRUCK." This band loves trucks, hates cops and wants to beat you up for even being in the way.
Fans can comment on the band's recent Instagram post for a ticket presale code. Check out the schedule below.
Big Ass Truck 2026 Tour Dates:
10/20 San Diego, CA - Corazon Del Barrio
10/21 San Francisco, CA - Neck of the Woods
10/23 Portland, OR - High Limit Room
10/24 Spokane, WA - The District Bar
10/25 Seattle, WA - El Corazon
10/26 Boise, ID - The Shredder
10/28 Denver, CO - Ante Up
10/30 Minneapolis, MN - Underground Music Venue
10/21 Chicago, IL - Gods of Chaos
11/01 Milwaukee, WI - X-Ray Arcade
11/02 Detroit, MI - Catacombs at the Sanctuary
11/03 Pittsburgh, PA - Preserving Underground
11/04 Cleveland, OH - Mahall's
11/05 Toronto, ON - Hard Luck Bar
11/07 Hartford, CT - Webster Underground
11/09 Baltimore, MD - Metro Gallery
11/10 Worcester, MA - Palladium Upstairs
11/11 Brooklyn, NY - Saint Vitus
11/12 Philadelphia, PA - Ukie Club
11/13 Richmond, VA - Canal Club
11/14 Atlanta, GA - Masquerade
11/15 Orlando, FL - Warped Tour Orlando
11/17 Houston, TX - The End
11/18 Dallas, TX - Three Links
11/20 San Antonio, TX - Rock Box
11/23 Mesa, AZ - Rosetta Room
11/24 Las Vegas, NV - American Legion Post 8
11/25 Pomona, CA - The Glass House
Frank Beard, the drummer of ZZ Top for more than 50 years running, has died. He was 77.
The band confirmed the news on Instagram, with Billy Gibbons writing, "Today, Elwood and I lost a great friend and collaborator, and the world lost one of the most naturally innovative drummers and a great and true son of Texas. His signature backbeat was key to keeping ZZ on top."
No cause of death has been reported, but Beard had stepped away from the band's touring commitments well over a year ago due to an unspecified health issue.
ZZ Top are currently in the midst of a US tour, and have cancelled shows tonight in Salt Lake City and tomorrow (August 19) in Colorado Springs. As of press time, they'll return to the road for Austin City Limits in October, which they referred to as "one of Frank's favourite venues and in a city that had been something of a second home for him."
Born in Frankston, TX, before joining ZZ Top, Beard was a member of a fake iteration of the British band the Zombies, which toured the US without authorization from the original band members. He was also part of the Outlaws with would-be ZZ Top member Dusty Hill (Beard was also the one to introduce him to Billy Gibbons) ahead of May 1969, when he entered the fold of the Moving Sidewalks — who became ZZ Top in July 1969.
The trio signed with London Records and released ZZ Top's First Album in 1971, showcasing their trademark Texas boogie blues rock stylings. Their subsequent LPs Tres Hombres (1973) and Fandango! (1975) — as well as the singles "La Grange" and "Tush" — went on to gain extensive radio airplay and become classic rock radio staples.
After gaining renown across North America for their live shows by the mid-'70s, ZZ Top rebranded in 1979, with Gibbons and Hill rocking sunglasses and matching chest-length beards. The transformation became sonic on 1981's El Loco, where they began incorporating synthesizers and drum machines prior to rising to international stardom with 1983's Eliminator and 1985's Afterburner, which drew influence from new wave, punk and dance-rock.
Their music videos' heavy rotation on MTV made them prominent in '80s pop culture, and the Afterburner tour was the highest-attended and highest-grossing tour of 1986. ZZ Top's experimentation continued with more mixed success after their 10th record Recycle (1990), but the band members were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004 all the same.
In 2018, ZZ Top won the Guinness World Record for longest-running active group with no lineup changes prior to the release of a compilation album commemorating the band's 50th anniversary in 2019. Hill died in July 2021, and was replaced by longtime guitar tech Elwood Francis as per the late bassist-vocalist's wishes.
Beard's death leaves Gibbons as the only surviving original member of the band's lineup, with ZZ Top's most recent new music dating back to 2022's RAW: That Little Ol' Band from Texas soundtrack.
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It truly is the summer of shit. People have been making kaka at Kahan and moshing in a poopy pit at metal shows, and now Remi Wolf is covering herself in dookie for her new album cover.
Okay, so the album is called Mud, so theoretically that might just be dirt splattered all over her face and into her mouth. But we'll defer to her quote from a press release on this matter: "I literally felt like I was covered in shit. And now, at the end of the album process, I feel so clean and clear. It has been a very cleansing record to make for me."
Got it — poop it is! We can't help but be reminded of the faecal album cover for Yung Buttpiss's album LET'S GET THIS PARTY SHARTED, which topped our 2026 list of the worst album covers.
Wolf will dump Mud on October 9 via Island Records. It includes the single "Twiggy," which came out earlier this summer and featured a muddy music video.
Mud:
1. Bottle
2. Champagne
3. Twiggy
4. Burn Me Blue
5. Jamie
6. Covered in Mud
7. Moon So High
8. I Won't Cry
9. Wine Drunk
10. Guess
11. Yellow Rose
You'd think he'd be eager to let this embarrassing narrative end, but Charley Crockett is still posting on Instagram about the fallout from his decision to remove Satanic doo-wop duo Twin Temple as openers from a couple of his shows.
It's understandable if you don't remember, since it was over a month ago, but Twin Temple had shared that the country star no longer wanted them to be involved in the concerts because of their Satanic imagery — and Jack White quickly swooped in and asked if they wanted to open for his Los Angeles gig in September.
Crockett was none too pleased by the move, responding multiple times on Instagram. (TL;DR, he initially wrote, "FUCK TRUMP FUCK EPSTEIN BUT HAIL SATAN? NOT ME JACK," and the gist of the follow-up novella was that he wouldn't "conform" and wasn't sorry.) The singer-songwriter has now written another lengthy caption about the whole ordeal, blaming the media for using "sanitizing" Twin Temple's image for their own use "in the click bait [sic] traffic game that is America's left-right culture war."
According to Crockett, he didn't actually remove the duo due to Satanic imagery, arguing that they "made it up and dragged me by a rope real good." He explained, "Their production requests raised eyebrows simply because we couldn't accommodate them physically. Then I noticed some of the things they'd been doing on stage and after thinking about it for a couple days I decided to cut em [sic] loose," adding that the duo had been paid in full.
He accused Twin Temple of "dog whistling about religious and creative freedom," as well as nameless fellow artists "who had their hand out showering me with praise the last few years that used the situation to kick me in the dick," apparently.
"As for Jack White, he used it to sell tickets too and I lost a lot of respect for him," Crockett went on. "I wonder why he wasn't so outspoken back when he was in the [W]hite [S]tripes 20 something [sic] years ago. They purposely avoided political issues. Maybe he was worried about losing audience back when it was all on the line and he needed all the help he could get. Funny, I've got everything to lose right this minute and I still shoot from the hip."
"Real patriots think for themselves," he added.
Of course, we have no idea what really went down between Crockett and Twin Temple — but that the guy whose band released an album called Get Behind Me Satan over 20 years ago would embrace an act that you allegedly ousted for Satanic imagery is a pretty predictable second coming. Read the full statement below.
I gotta clear this up right quick. I never dropped that band from those 2 shows for "Satanic Imagery," they made it up and dragged me by a rope real good. It all started about a month before those shows while we were off in Wyoming. Their production requests raised eyebrows simply because we couldn't accommodate them physically. Then I noticed some of the things they'd been doing on stage and after thinking about it for a couple days I decided to cut em [sic] loose. We told em the vibe just wasn't right for an all ages audience, and we paid em [sic] in full. They got together with their business folks and plotted for days before finally making their public statement, designed for effect. Purposely making it look like it was a whole tour. Dog whistling about religious and creative freedom. Of course my rights didn't matter since they had a new record coming out and a headline tour of their own to announce. It's my fault, I let 'em slip through and being that this here's my outfit, I'm the responsible party. I reacted. I might respond differently now but everybody's got perfect vision in hindsight. I think the most difficult part of the whole deal was the way the media, save for one outlet, cared nothing for the truth. They sanitized these folks' image for their own uses in the click bait [sic] traffic game that is America's left-right culture war. Or maybe it was all the artists I know who had their hand out showering me with praise the last few years that used the situation to kick me in the dick. I ain't the one holding you down. And I won't forget that when I was face down in the dirt coughing up blood you applauded. As for Jack White, he used it to sell tickets too and I lost a lot of respect for him. I wonder why he wasn't so outspoken back when he was in the white stripes 20 something [sic] years ago. They purposely avoided political issues. Maybe he was worried about losing audience back when it was all on the line and he needed all the help he could get. Funny, I've got everything to lose right this minute and I still shoot from the hip. I've been speaking from my heart against the wishes of the machine my whole life. Real patriots think for themselves.
Supporting the recent release of their new album Brilliance of a Falling Moon, Newark, NJ-formed industrial hip-hop experimentalists Dälek — helmed by their namesake MC — have announced a slate of North American tour dates for this fall, including a trio of Canadian gigs in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal.
The vocalist/producer and Mike Manteca (a.k.a. Mike Mare) will hit the road starting October 8 in Seattle, WA. Shortly thereafter, they'll venture across the border to play Vancouver's Wise Hall on October 9.
After a pair of additional stateside performances, Dälek return to Canadian turf for appearances at Toronto's Dance Cave (October 17) and Montreal's Bar le Ritz PDB (October 18) ahead of completing the remainder of the trek back in the US, with things slated to wrap up on November 7 in Chicago, IL.
Tickets are on sale now. Check out the full routing below, as well as Concert Central for more upcoming Canadian shows.
Dälek 2026 Tour Dates:
10/08 Seattle, WA - Funhouse
10/09 Vancouver, BC - Wise Hall
10/10 San Francisco, CA - Neck Of The Woods
10/11 Los Angeles, CA - Moroccan Lounge
10/17 Toronto, ON - Dance Cave
10/18 Montreal, QC - Bar le Ritz PDB
10/22 Philadelphia, PA - Nikki Lopez
10/24 Brattleboro, VT - Circuits In The Woods
10/25 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
11/06 Atlanta, GA - Purgatory - The Masquerade
11/07 Chicago, IL - Gman Tavern
Just one month since the death of L7 bassist Jennifer Finch, Da Capo Publishing has announced that she completed a memoir shortly before she died. Shooting Up & Making Out: A Memoir of My Life in LA and L7 will be out January 19.
It was co-written with Jeff Alulis, who said in a statement, "Jennifer's memoir was the last major project she completed before she passed away. She and I worked together for two years to make sure she was happy with every word of it, and with someone as intentional and thoughtful as Jennifer, that was no small task! I'm heartbroken that she won't get to see it published, but I'm thrilled to share her life and legacy with the world."
This was the last major project Finch completed in her lifetime, having been finished just before brain cancer would have made such work impossible. According to a press release, "This is a candid and clear-eyed memoir that stands apart from the rest with its grounded perspective and bracing, edgy wisdom. If overcoming obstacles makes for great art, then Jennifer Finch was the consummate artist. She was a recovering addict, a photographer, the co-founder of an influential pro-choice advocacy group, and the bassist for the groundbreaking all-female hard rock group L7. Driven to express herself despite neglect and abuse, Finch carved an artistic path and pulled herself out of a personal hell. This is the story of how she pulled it off and lived an extraordinary life, in her own words."
Shooting Up & Making Out is available to preorder here.
Finch died at the age of 59, just after announcing that she was dropping out of L7's fall farewell tour.
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SCREAM Edmonton is returning for its 27th year. The Halloween EDM fest will haunt the Edmonton EXPO Centre on October 30 and 31.
The list of acts set to perform over the festival's two days is lengthy, and includes Tiësto, Alesso, Chase & Status, Gryffin, Sara Landry, Sullivan King, SVDDEN DEATH, Andrew Rayel, KREAM, Matroda, HNTR, Wax Motif, Anime, BEAUZ, Blossom, EDX, Ian Asher, Jackie Hollander, Joshwa, Kayzo, Layz, MaRLo, Westend, Wooli, Alokin B2B Lost Endings, Better Living DJs, Bradley James, Bryce Kenneth, BSMT, DJ Tina, David Stone, Dowski, Dyce, Elohel, Ha Ha, Jenkz, Kosmix, Kris Harvey, Levy Breaks, Little Red Ball Company, Mikey Wong, Navasia, Nudii, Seelo, Soulera, Titus 1, Tianna J., Unoriginated and Yelrihs.
Alongside the DJs, over 200 live performers, including dancers, stilt-walkers, aerialists and more, will take over the space.
Tickets are on sale now in four tiers: GA, GA+, VIP and Ultra VIP. More information can be found on SCREAM Edmonton's website.
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Yoo Doo Right have detailed their fourth full-length album, Build and Rest by the Shepherd's Light, out November 6 via Mothland.
Recorded by longtime friend and collaborator Ky Brooks — who also delivers spoken-word vocals to album track "Neighbours Report Their Neighbours" — at Hotel2Tango, the album was mixed by Seth Manchester at Machine with Magnets and mastered by Amar Lal at Macro Sound. Julia Bender shot its cover art in Ovronnaz, Switzerland.
John Talbot and Justin Colber from Yoo Doo Right share that the album's title "highlights the main themes and motifs of the record as it stands. Rest and build, and rest and build, and rest and build… What else is there in our stories?"
They continued, "[Every day] is caring for ourselves and then doing everything in your power to care for those around us. A heroic journey is nothing but helping set camp up every night and making sure everyone is fed. A person's 'shepherd' is defined by themselves, whether it's music, their friends and families, their companion animals, or the very equipment they use to create! In each of our lives, we have the potential to draw strength and find rest in what is around us, build and rest by the shepherd's light." Read their full statement below.
Today, the record is previewed by lead single "Doldrums, Doldrums, Eviler Than the Devil," which, as fans might expect, is a soaring six-minute epic. Watch the Stacy Lee-directed visual accompaniment below, where you'll also find the band's upcoming tour plans, including gigs in Calgary, Guelph, London, Kitchener, Windsor, and more, as well as their newly scheduled album release show in Montreal at Ausgang Plaza on November 19.
Build and Rest by the Shepherd's Light:
1. Two Hoarders
2. Doldrums, Doldrums, Eviler Than the Devil
3. Tortue
4. Industriestraße 9
5. Neighbours Report Their Neighbours
6. To Be a Lambskin (Or to Be the Whole Flock)
7. Sofort, Si Fort
8. Build and Rest by the Shepherd's Light
Yoo Doo Right 2026 Tour Dates:
08/22 Calgary, AB - Dandy Fest
08/29 Montreal, QC - Distorsion
09/05 Wolfe Island, ON - Oscillatorium Music Lab IX
09/25 Guelph, ON - Jimmy Jazz
09/26 London, ON - Punk Rock Flea Fest
09/26 Kitchener, ON - Wrecker Fest
09/27 Brantford, ON - zBTFD Records
09/28 Windsor, ON - Meteor
11/19 Montreal, QC - Ausgang Plaza
There is a lot of joy and laughter in this album. For the first time in a while, we were feeling enriched and energized by what we were creating, the instruments we were using, and what was coming out. The record is us looking at our place in the world and deciding we were still committed to making music together. Boldly doing so with as much joy as we can drag out of the dried roots of modern day life. Rather than the anxiety-inducing white knuckle "when is it going to break" energy we have worked with in the past, this record is optimistic but pensive. It holds onto the idea of transcendental musical themes and is deeply rooted in repetition and a clear momentum. A momentum we hope moves people, whether it is in thought or the physical.
The title — Build and Rest by the Shepherd's Light — highlights the main themes and motifs of the record as it stands. Rest and build, and rest and build, and rest and build… What else is there in our stories? Everyday is caring for ourselves and then doing everything in your power to care for those around us. A heroic journey is nothing but helping set camp up every night and making sure everyone is fed. A person's "shepherd" is defined by themselves, whether it's music, their friends and families, their companion animals, or the very equipment they use to create! In each of our lives, we have the potential to draw strength and find rest in what is around us, build and rest by the shepherd's light.
Half the record came fully-formed, the other half was born of improvisational jamming. Originally made as pieces of music to help his partner sleep, Justin created "Industriestraße 9" and "Neighbours Report Their Neighbours" while isolated in a cabin over the Winter. "Doldrums, Doldrums, Eviler Than the Devil", "Tortue", and "Build and Rest by the Shepherd's Light" were us just having lots of fun in the studio, being excited by new ideas and sounds, challenging ourselves to dive deeply into new grooves and styles. The rest were either old ideas born anew or fully conceptualized pieces brought to life. While quite exploratory in its sonic landscape, we see the record as one cohesive story. A cinematic exercise that we hope people listen to in full.
We recorded with co-producer Ky Brooks. They are one of our favourite artists and a dear friend so the choice to have them hop on was an easy and exciting one. We booked studio time with no intention of finishing a record. The goal was to lay down some new ideas and get in the mindset of recording. Hotel2Tango is an incredibly warm and creatively conductive place for us. For four days straight, we put in 12-14 hour days and routinely got lost in the haze of creative fervor. Timothy joined us to record "Doldrums [...]". Jessica, Ezra, and Francis' instruments, as well as Ky's vocals, were recorded at Error 403. Having finished recording, we of course turned to Seth (mixing) at Machines with Magnets and Amar (mastering) at Macro Sound to elevate the album.
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Preeper Rhaye MacKay — the Americana trio featuring singer-songwriter Jessica Rhaye, guitarist Bill Preeper and multi-instrumentalist Sandy MacKay — have announced the forthcoming release of their sophomore album, Blackberry Lane. They'll support the project's October 2 release with a Canadian tour this fall, making stops in 13 cities across four provinces.
The band hit the road starting September 25 at Saint John's BMO Studio Theatre. They'll play additional East Coast gigs at the Carleton in Halifax (October 8), Moncton's Empress Theatre (October 9) and Fredericton's Charlotte Street Arts Centre (October 10) before heading to the central part of the country in November.
Then, the three-piece will kick things off at London's Aeolian Hall on November 1, with subsequent Ontario performances to follow at Guelph's Silence (November 4), Toronto's Burdock Music Hall (November 5) and Ottawa's Red Bird (November 7), as well as Quebec concerts at Motel Chelsea (November 6), the Hudson Creative Hub (November 8) and Montreal's P'tit Ours. Preeper Rhaye MacKay will bookend the tour out East, wrapping things up at Florenceville's Second Wind Music Centre (November 12) and the Drewhaven Cafe in Saint Andrews (November 13).
Tickets are on sale now. See the full itinerary and the video for the LP's lead single, "Fare Thee Well (Dink's Song)" below. Visit Concert Central for more upcoming Canadian shows.
Preeper Rhaye and MacKay 2026 Tour Dates:
09/25 Saint John, NB - BMO Studio Theatre
10/08 Halifax, NS - The Carleton
10/09 Moncton, NB - Empress Theatre
10/10 Fredericton, NB - Charlotte Street Arts Centre
11/01 London, ON - Aeolian Hall (South)
11/04 Guelph, ON - Silence
11/05 Toronto, ON - Burdock Music Hall
11/06 Chelsea, QC - Motel Chelsea
11/07 Ottawa, ON - Red Bird
11/08 Hudson, QC - Hudson Creative Hub
11/10 Montreal, QC - P'tit Ours
11/12 Florenceville, NB - Second Wind Music Centre
11/13 Saint Andrews, NB - Drewhaven Cafe
London, ON-hailing indie rockers Status/Non-Status (pictured above) are teaming up with Toronto's By Divine Right for a co-headlining tour, which will bring the two bands to 14 cities across Canada this fall.
The tour will kick off in Winnipeg, MB, on October 2. They'll play several shows in Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia throughout the month, before concluding the tour in Thunder Bay on October 21.
Check out the itinerary below, and head over to Concert Central for more Canadian tour announcements.
Status/Non-Status and By Divine Right 2026 Tour Dates:
10/02 Winnipeg, MB - Public Domain (Heavenly Fest)
10/03 Regina, SK - The Cure *
10/04 Lethbridge, AB - Owl Acoustic Lounge
10/06 Rossland, BC - Flying Steamshovel
10/08 Vancouver, BC - Green Auto ^
10/09 Victoria, BC - Lucky Bar #
10/10 Cumberland, BC - The Waverley #
10/11 Nanaimo, BC - Terminal Bar #
10/13 Penticton, BC - The Dream Cafe
10/15 Invermere, BC - Ullr Bar
10/16 Calgary, AB - The Palomino @
10/17 Edmonton, AB - Starlite Temple !
10/18 Saskatoon, SK - Green Room %
10/21 Thunder Bay, ON - Black Pirates Pub
* with the Wont's
^ with Uptights
# with Global Fake
@ with Self Cut Bangs
! with Cassia Hardy
% with Deep Archive
Some of the best music deftly weaves comedy into its layers, and some comedians believe the reverse to be true as well. One such example is comic, actor and singer-songwriter Whitmer Thomas, who has just announced a North American tour supporting his new HBO comedy special and its accompanying live album, Terminal Crew of Dudes.
Dudes, they do be rockin'! These particular ones — Thomas's longtime friends Clay Tatum (guitar), Budd Diaz (drums) and Jeramy Ritchie (bass), plus Thomas's brother Johnny McCann (guitar) — will help bring the intersection of music and comedy to life, making Canadian stops in Vancouver and Toronto before the end of the year.
The tour begins November 11 in Los Angeles, CA. Shortly thereafter, Thomas and co. will cross the Canadian border to grace Vancouver's Rickshaw Theatre on November 17. After continuing to traverse the US, they'll return to Canadian turf to play the Great Hall in Toronto on December 8 ahead of wrapping things up on December 18 in Pensacola, FL.
Tickets go on general sale Wednesday (August 19) at 10 a.m. local time. Check out the full schedule of dates below, as well as Concert Central for more upcoming Canadian shows.
Whitmer Thomas 2026 Tour Dates:
11/11 Los Angeles, CA - Sid the Cat Auditorium
11/13 San Francisco, CA - The Independent
11/17 Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theatre
11/18 Portland, OR - Polaris Hall
11/19 Seattle, WA - Barboza
12/06 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
12/07 Detroit, MI - Lager House
12/08 Toronto, ON - The Great Hall
12/10 Boston, MA - Arts at the Armory
12/11 Brooklyn, NY - Baby's
12/13 Philadelphia, PA - PhilaMOCA
12/14 Washington, D.C. - DC9 Nightclub
12/16 Asheville, NC - Static Age
12/17 Nashville, TN - The Blue Room
12/18 Pensacola, FL - Handlebar
After being announced last year and subsequently having its arrival date pushed back, we're finally getting a first look at The Simpsons Movie sequel — including its official title.
Fans got to see work-in-progress footage from The New Simpsons Movie at Disney's D23 event over the weekend. On top of revealing its uninspired but apt title, the event included a sketched scene of Homer chasing an Isotopes baseball through Springfield.
The three-minute clip starts with an introduction from Bart that leads into a work-in-progress sneak peek, showing countless renderings of classic Simpsons characters fighting to catch the valuable baseball. Watch it below.
As of time of publication, the release date for The New Simpsons Movie is September 3, 2027.
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Nathan Fielder's long-con pranks, including Dumb Stuckbucks and his singing competition Wings of Voice, have created an environment where almost anything bizarre seems like his doing. Perhaps that's why fans have become convinced that he's behind a bizarre boy band called Boy Throb.
The four-piece have been active since last year, with a lineup that includes two past American Idol hopefuls. While three of the band members are based in L.A., the unusual part is their fourth member: Darshan Magdum, a guy from India who they've never met IRL.
A video shared back in October of last year, with awkward comic timing that's distinctly Fielder-y, explains that their immigration lawyer told them they need to get a million social media followers to secure Magdum his O-1 visa so he can visit the US. (See that video below.)
The group have actually accomplished this feat; as of this writing, they have 983,000 followers on Instagram and 1,300,000 followers on TikTok, and they've even released a collab track with Kesha. On August 3, they announced that they secured a visa for Magdum.
Over on Fielder's subreddit, there are dozens of posts about Boy Throb, with people hunting for clues that might link Fielder to the group. Posters have suggested that masked figures in the background of Boy Throb videos might be Fielder, and that their summer tour was titled the Rehearsal Tour (which of course seems like it could be for Season 3 of The Rehearsal).
They've also said their goal is to win a Grammy, which is exactly the kind of scheming ambition that we can imagine Fielder coming up with.
Is Fielder behind Boy Throb? Only time will tell.
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Fresh off the release of her new EP, Promising Young Woman, alt-pop singer-songwriter Isabel LaRosa has announced the Dollparts Tour, a run of North American dates in intimate venues featuring her ambitious three-act show that brings together the worlds of the EP, her debut album Raven and fan-favourite tracks. She'll make a single Canadian stop in Toronto this fall.
The stint on the road kicks off on October 13 in San Francisco, CA. Just beyond the trek's halfway point, LaRosa will cross the border into Canada to play the Garrison in Toronto on October 24 before wrapping the run on October 29 in Boston, MA.
Tickets go on sale to the general public this Thursday (August 20) at 10 a.m. local time, with various presales beginning Wednesday (August 19). Find the full itinerary below, as well as more upcoming Canadian shows via Concert Central.
Isabel LaRosa 2026 Tour Dates:
10/13 San Francisco, CA - Cafe Du Nord
10/15 Los Angeles, CA - Pacific Electric
10/19 Denver, CO - Meow Wolf
10/22 Chicago, IL - Reggies
10/24 Toronto, ON - The Garrison
10/26 Washington, D.C. - Union Stage
10/28 New York, NY - Le Poisson Rouge
10/29 Boston, MA - Sonia
Days after the release of the highly-anticipated Camp Rock 3 on Disney+ last Friday (August 13), Joe, Nick and Kevin Jonas have announced that they'll be heading back out on the road for another headlining tour this year.
The Burning Up Tour All Over Again will kick off with three sold-out shows in New York City this week. The trek will take the Jonas Brothers to several cities across the US into December, and will also include a lone Canadian date at Toronto's RBC Amphitheatre (September 28). They'll be joined by Magnus Ferrell, Franklin Jonas, Deleasa and All Time Low on select dates.
Presale begins on Wednesday (August 19) at 10 a.m. local time, followed by public on-sale on Friday (August 21) at 10 a.m. local time. See the schedule below, and head over to Concert Central for more Canadian tour announcements.
Jonas Brothers 2026 Tour Dates:
08/20 New York, NY - Madison Square Garden *
08/21 New York, NY - Madison Square Garden *
08/22 New York, NY - Madison Square Garden *
08/25 Boston, MA - TD Garden *^
09/26 Manchester, NH - SNHU Arena *
09/28 Toronto, ON - RBC Amphitheatre *
09/30 Washington, D.C. - Capital One Arena *
10/01 Raleigh, NC - Lenovo Center *
10/02 Philadelphia, PA - Xfinity Mobile Arena *^
10/05 Miami, FL - Kaseya Center *^
10/06 Orlando, FL - Kia Center *^
10/08 Atlanta, GA - State Farm Arena *^
10/09 Birmingham, AL - Legacy Arena at the BJCC *^
10/11 Tampa, FL - Benchmark International Arena *^
10/13 Charlotte, NC - Spectrum Center *^
10/15 Indianapolis, IN - Gainbridge Fieldhouse *^
10/16 Columbus, OH - Nationwide Arena *^
10/17 Lexington, KY - Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center *^
10/19 Cleveland, OH - Rocket Arena *^
10/20 Buffalo, NY - KeyBank Center *^
10/22 Rosemont, IL - Allstate Arena *^
10/25 Detroit, MI - Little Caesars Arena *^
10/26 Pittsburgh, PA - PPG Paints Arena *^
11/01 Milwaukee, WI - Fiserv Forum *^
11/02 St. Paul, MN - Grand Casino Arena *^
11/03 Kansas City, MO - T-Mobile Center *~
11/05 Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena *~
11/09 Oklahoma City, OK - Paycom Center *~
11/10 Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center *~
11/13 Austin, TX - Moody Center *~
11/14 San Antonio, TX - Frost Bank Center *~
11/17 Palm Desert, CA - Acrisure Arena *^
11/18 Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl *^@
11/21 San Francisco, CA - Chase Center *^
11/22 Sacramento, CA - Golden 1 Center *^
11/27 Glendale, AZ - Desert Diamond Arena *^
11/28 Las Vegas, NV - MGM Grand Garden Arena *^
11/30 San Diego, CA - Viejas Arena *^
12/02 Anaheim, CA - Honda Center *^
12/05 Seattle, WA - Climate Pledge Arena *^
12/07 Salt Lake City, UT - Delta Center *^
12/09 Denver, CO - Ball Arena *^
12/10 Lincoln, NE - Pinnacle Bank Arena *^
12/12 Sioux Falls, SD - Denny Sanford PREMIER Center *^
12/15 Grand Rapids, MI - Van Andel Arena *^
12/19 Belmont Park, NY - UBS Arena *^
12/21 Newark, NJ - Prudential Center *^
* with Deleasa
^ with Magnus Ferrell
~ with Franklin Jonas
@ with All Time Low
Alvvays have reached the upper echelons of pop music. Last year, they contributed to Miley Cyrus's album, and now they've influenced a song from Phoebe Bridgers's Lost Weekend.
Bridgers recorded clips explaining each song from Lost Weekend for radio stations, including one about her love song "Bobby" (believed to be about her boyfriend Bo Burnham).
She said, "I tend to write love songs that are soaked in pain and irony, and I really didn't want to do it this time, because it didn't feel like that. I wanted to write about the feeling of love at first hookup — just your life being totally turned upside down by someone in a good way. But there are so many great songs like that, like 'There She Goes' or 'Marry Me, Archie,' that it was hard to commit to adding to that legacy. But at the end of the day, I just had to be honest. And these feelings, I feel very lucky to have had them. Thank you, Bobby!"
Not only did she get the song title backwards, we question whether that's really an apt description of "Archie, Marry Me" — which certainly is a love song, but one about rejecting the social pressure to have a wedding, rather than the first rush of love.
Also, "There She Goes" (which is presumably the song by the La's) has been long-rumoured to be about heroin, rather than love, although songwriter Lee Mavers has denied this.
I guess that's why Phoebe Bridgers is a songwriter and not a music critic! Hear the (very beautiful) song below.
Xav Trudeau's new single isn't bad! Clearly his dad Justin Trudeau, as well as the former prime minister's girlfriend Katy Perry, agree, since the couple shot a video of themselves dancing in a hardware store as "DOWNTOWN" plays over the radio.
The clip shows the elder Trudeau in a hardware store when his son's song plays on Virgin Radio. Holding a plunger and a couple of plastic tubs, Trudeau tells the camera, "In the Home Hardware on Saint-Laurent Street," likely referring to the one in Montreal's Plateau neighbourhood.
Trudeau dances along with the song and sings a couple of lyrics, and once the beat drops, Perry angles the video toward herself while doing a hoedown stomp. The pair keep the volume fairly low and respectful in a public space, and we commend them for that.
The clip was shared by Xav; see it below. Who knew that Justin Trudeau was such a dance machine?
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Hayden Panettiere — known for her roles in Scream 4, Heroes, Remember the Titans and more — has died. She was 36 years old.
"It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden. She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her — and to the millions who watched her onscreen," Panettiere's representative confirmed [via ABC].
UPDATE (8/17, 4:21 p.m. ET): According to the Greenville County Coroner's office, Panettiere's initial autopsy has show "no signs of trauma."
"The cause and manner of death remain pending further investigation and the completion of additional studies," the corner's statement reads [via TMZ].
UPDATE (8/17, 9:26 a.m. ET): As People reports, Panettiere's death remains under investigation, but dispatch audio from the 911 call heard officials discussing an apparent "overdose" and "cardiac arrest." Police and EMS had responded to reports of an "unresponsive female" at a residence in Greenville, SC, at around 1:50 p.m. local time yesterday (August 16). She was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:32 p.m.
"The preliminary investigation has not indicated any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances," a spokesperson for the Greenville Police Department said in a statement. "An acquaintance of Ms. Panettiere placed the 911 call."
Panettiere's official cause of death won't be released until after an autopsy.
The actress released her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning — which reflected on her experience with fame, trauma, recovery and grief — earlier this year. In the book, Panettiere revealed that she is bisexual, recounted alleged inappropriate sexual encounters with Hollywood figures, wrote about her struggles with alcohol, and detailed her decision to let her daughter Kaya live with her ex, Wladimir Klitschko. She also delved into the death of her younger brother, Jansen Panettiere, who passed in 2023.
The eldest child of former soap opera actress Lesley R. Vogel, Panettiere was born and raised in Palisades, NY. She first started appearing in commercials when she was 11 months old before landing her first TV gig as Sarah Roberts on the ABC soap One Life to Live from 1994–1997, followed by portraying Lizzie Spaulding on CBS's Guiding Light in 1996, and again from 1997–2000.
Following a Youth Artist Award-nominated turn in the 1999 Lifetime movie If You Believe, Panettiere landed her first starring role as Bill Pullman's daughter in the Disney Channel original movie Tiger Cruise. Her star continued to rise with her role as Claire Bennet in NBC's Heroes, as well as starring opposite Connie Britton in the ABC musical drama Nashville.
Panettiere's aughts film credits include Remember the Titans (2000), Raising Helen (2004), Ice Princess (2005), Racing Stripes (2005), Bring It On: All or Nothing (2006) and I Love You, Beth Cooper (2009). In 2011, she played Kirby Reed in Scream 4 — a role she briefly reprised in 2022's Scream. She also returned to the franchise for Scream VI, marking her first on-screen film appearance since taking a hiatus in 2018.
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