Andy Williams, the All Elite Wrestling (AEW) wrestler and metal musician best known as the rhythm guitarist for Every Time I Die, has died. He was 48.

Williams died on Saturday (September 5) following a medical emergency during a wrestling match alongside his longtime tag-team partner the Blade at the Enjoy Wrestling event at Mr. Small's Theatre in Millvale, PA. 

Williams's collapse in the ring led to the event's prompt cancellation.

Born in Buffalo, NY, Williams had long aspired to be a professional wrestler. After training at the Renegade Wrestling Association across the border in Ontario for six months, he sustained a knee injury and learned how to play the guitar during the layoff.

Williams formed Every Time I Die alongside lead guitarist Jordan Buckley and drummer Michael Novak in 1998. With the addition of vocalist Keith Buckley and bassist John McCarthy, the group had their first live performance in Hamilton, ON.

At an early show on a tour of New York and Ontario, the band met Goodfellow Records producer Chris Logan, who would release their debut EP, The Burial Plot Bidding War, in December of 1999. After replacing McCarthy with Aaron Ratajczak, they went on to release their first full-length, Last Night in Town, via Ferret Records in 2001 — the same year Stephen Micciche took over the post from Ratajczak. (Micciche would go on to be the bassist for a cumulative 15 of the band's 24 years.)

Their influential sophomore LP Hot Damn! was well received in 2003, prompting ETID's first short stint on the Vans Warped Tour, as well as a spot on the 2004 Ozzfest tour. Micciche resigned in 2005, with Between the Buried and Me's Kevin Falk joining for the release of Gutter Phenomenon, but he was let go almost immediately and replaced by Chris Byrnes (NORA) until the end of Warped Tour 2006, then by Keller Harbin (the Chariot).

The revolving door of bassists continued, with Josh Newton replacing Harbin upon the release of 2007's The Big Dirty. He would remain in the band until late 2011, when Micciche returned. ETID went on to release five more albums — the most recent being 2021's Radical — prior to announcing their breakup in 2022. Many of their peers and contemporaries, like Underoath, Knocked Loose and Against Me!, eulogized the band for the effect their music had on the metalcore genre.

Williams had resumed his wrestling training in the mid-2010s and, in the summer of 2015, began working on the independent circuit with run-ins at Toronto's Smash Wrestling and the UK's Progress Wrestling. He teamed up with Jesse Guilmette, the pair tag-team wrestling as the Butcher and the Blade for the first time in September 2017.

Williams made his AEW debut as the Butcher in November 2019. After ETID's breakup, he began pursuing wrestling full-time — with the exception of forming Atomic Rule alongside bassist Travis Bennington in 2023, releasing a three-song demo and an EP in 2025. The guitarist was reportedly working on new music prior to his death.

https://exclaim.ca/music/article/venus-fest-2026 2026-09-04T19:01:27.223Z

Toronto's Venus Fest will take over Allan Gardens for this year's 10th anniversary edition, which is set to run from September 15 to 20.

Performing Friday night of the festival are PYNE, LAL and Prado Monroe, plus All-Flowers Mahjong and a Night Market presented by Kabuté and Friends of Allan Gardens. 

Saturday will begin with free daytime programming, including a Rest Portal with a sound bath by Renelyn Quinicot-Bastos at noon, and an artist talk by Juliana Huxtable at 1 p.m. The same night, Huxtable will perform alongside Donna Come Home and Honeydrip, with the Night Market ongoing. 

The festival concludes on Sunday with free/PWYC daytime performances by seth cardinal dodginghorse and Esssena. 

In addition to live music, the event will feature workshops, community programming, and visual arts curated by Tangled Arts + Disability, as well as an interactive installation by Christina Dovolis.

Check out the full event programming at Venus Fest's website. 

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]]> Allie Gregory @exclaim.ca https://exclaim.ca/contact https://exclaim.ca/music/article/squeeze-tour-bus-crushes-man-to-death 2026-09-04T17:37:34.447Z

Squeeze are currently on the North American road for their Tried, Tested and Trixies Tour, but were forced to cancel last night's (September 3) scheduled show in Vienna, VA, after one of their tour buses tragically collapsed on top of a man, killing him.

As Washington, D.C.'s Fox 5 News reports, the man — whose identity has not been made public — was reportedly working under one of the buses parked outside the large outdoor Wolf Trap venue when a supporting apparatus malfunctioned, and the bus collapsed on top of him. After US Park Police officers were called at around 5 p.m. local time, he was pronounced dead at the scene.

"Squeeze are deeply saddened and shocked by an incident that occurred at the venue earlier today, which resulted in the loss of a life," the new wave icons said in a statement shared with fans following the accident. "After discussions with the venue and the relevant authorities, the decision was made to cancel this evening's performance."

"We will work with the promoter and venue regarding the possibility of rescheduling the show and will communicate further information to ticket holders as soon as it is available," the band continued. "Our thoughts remain with everyone affected by this tragic event."

As of press time, it remains uncertain whether the deceased was a member of Squeeze's touring crew. The band are due to perform in Columbia, MO, tonight, and will return to Canada next week for a Vancouver concert.

]]> Megan LaPierre @exclaim.ca https://exclaim.ca/contact https://exclaim.ca/music/article/toronto-s-wiggle-room-bans-meta-glasses-and-smart-glasses-from-location 2026-09-04T17:05:24.472Z

If you've ever encountered someone wearing smart glasses — technology that allows you to record audio and video hands-free — you know firsthand that it's an uncomfortable and unpleasant experience. Now that this technology has become easily available, there's been an increase in its use in public spaces, including concerts, bars, restaurants, and even out on the street. Public filming — and the violation of privacy that comes with it — is an ongoing discourse on social media because of its non-consensual nature, and these glasses are making it even harder to detect.

Luckily, there are some establishments pushing back against this technology. In a new effort to protect the privacy of its guests, popular Toronto bar and nightclub Wiggle Room — located at 772 Dundas Street West — has announced that they are banning smart eyewear, including Meta glasses, from its location. 

In a post shared to Instagram yesterday (September 3), Wiggle Room wrote that in their "continued efforts in maintaining a safer dance space and to protect the privacy of their patrons," all smart glasses will not be permitted inside the venue. 

"Please only bring traditional eyewear to the dance floor," the caption concluded.

The new rule was received positively in the post's comment section, with users writing that this move should be standard policy everywhere, and thanking the venue for its efforts to ensure guests can enjoy a safe night out. 

As reported by blogTO, Toronto's Ground Control on Queen West has also banned smart glasses, citing that "this intrusive and unneccessary eye ware [sic] can be used for nefarious purposes."

This past summer, a new nightclub, Complex19, opened downtown and is enforcing a no-cameras policy, a decision that owners shared was made to ensure that "people can actually enjoy themselves and not have blue light over the dance floor."  

See the post below. 

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]]> Karlie Rogers @exclaim.ca https://exclaim.ca/contact https://exclaim.ca/music/article/the-restarts-map-out-first-canadian-tour-in-15-years 2026-09-04T15:51:40.668Z

Hackney punk vets the Restarts have announced their first tour of Canada in 15 years. The Kanata tour will bring the three-piece to 15 cities, from Quebec to BC, over the course of two weeks this November.

Starting in Quebec City on November 4, the group will be joined by Random Killing and BALM Squad for six dates across Quebec and Ontario, including stops in Montreal, Ottawa, Kingston, Waterloo, Hamilton and Toronto. From there, the trek resumes in Alberta, where the band will be joined by Motherfuckers for gigs in Edmonton, Red Deer, Lethbridge and Calgary. A trek around BC will close out the run, with the band hitting Kelowna, Victoria, Nanaimo and Vancouver with support on select dates from Alien Boys and Mean Bikini.

See the tour schedule below and head to Concert Central for more Canadian show listings. 

Restarts 2026 Tour Dates:

11/04 Quebec City, QC - Scanner Bistro *
11/05 Montreal, QC - Foufounes Electric *
11/06 Ottawa, ON - Dominion Tavern *
11/07 Kingston, ON - Hotel Wolfe Island *
11/08 Waterloo, ON - Revive Karaoke *
11/09 Hamilton, ON - Doors Pub *
11/10 Toronto, ON - Bovine Sex Club *
11/11 Edmonton, AB - Dive Bar ^
11/12 Red Deer, AB - The Vat ^
11/13 Lethbridge, AB - The Owl ^
11/14 Calgary, AB - Dickens ^
11/15 Kelowna, BC - Unleashed Brewing #
11/16 Victoria, BC - TBA #%
11/17 Nanaimo, BC - The Globe #%
11/18 Vancouver, BC - Green Auto #%

* with Random Killing and BALM Squad
^ with Motherfuckers
# with Alien Boys
% with Mean Bikini

]]> Allie Gregory @exclaim.ca https://exclaim.ca/contact https://exclaim.ca/music/article/daphni-adds-seven-new-tracks-to-butterfly-expanded-edition 2026-09-04T15:07:17.157Z

Having at last released the follow-up to Daphni's Cherry earlier this year, Dan Snaith has now revisited the excellent, Polaris long-listed Butterfly, announcing a two-disc expanded edition due to arrive on September 25 through his own label, Jiaolong. 

Along with the addition of seven new tracks, the album also includes remixes by Kelbin, Aasthma, Peder Mannerfelt and BRUX, as well as several new mixes of "Sad Piano House."

"Even as I was finishing up the final master of Butterfly, I was making lots more music to play out that felt like it lived in the same world and was in the same vein. And so adding them to an expanded version made a lot of sense," Snaith shared in a press release. 

He continued: 

Also, the remixes on this expanded version all came out of nice personal connections. There's the Kelbin remix that is sort of a companion to his "Cloudy" remix from the previous Daphni album. There's the Peder Mannerfelt and Aasthma remixes, which came out of me buying a bunch of Peder's tracks on Bandcamp and him getting in touch. And there's the BRUX remix, which came about through meeting her at a Fred again.. show in New York that we both played at and realizing that we had met 10 years earlier in Australia when she was just starting out, aspiring to get into music. That's really the only time that I think about commissioning remixes, is when there's a nice personal connection between someone whose music I admire and the music that I've made.

Kelbin's "Sad Piano House" remix is out now. Hear that and find the full tracklist details for Butterfly (Expanded Edition) below. 

Earlier this year, Exclaim! ranked Snaith's output as both Daphni and Caribou.

Butterfly (Expanded Edition):

Disc 1

1. Sad Piano House
2. Clap Your Hands
3. Hang
4. Lucky
5. Waiting So Long
6. Napoleon's Rock
7. Good Night Baby
8. Talk to Me
9. Two Maps
10. Josephine
11. Miles Smiles
12. Goldie
13. Caterpillar
14. Shifty
15. Invention
16. Eleven

Disc 2

1. hav u a sec
2. Forward
3. Staircase
4. Tapir
5. Tally
6. Syntom
7. Catch 23
8. Sad Piano House (Kelbin Remix)
9. Good Night Baby (Aasthma Remix)
10. Hang (Peder Mannerfelt Remix)
11. Good Night Baby (BRUX Remix)
12. Sad Piano House (Extended Mix)
13. Sad Piano House (Beatless Mix)

]]> Allie Gregory @exclaim.ca https://exclaim.ca/contact https://exclaim.ca/music/article/ex-turnstile-guitarist-maintains-he-did-not-commit-a-crime-faces-competency-evaluation-in-attempted-murder-case 2026-09-03T19:52:30.435Z

Former Turnstile guitarist Brady Ebert, accused of hitting singer Brendan Yates's father with a car in March, repeatedly claimed his innocence in court today after his attorney raised concerns about the ex-band member's ability to understand the charges against him and aid in his own defence.

During the hearing in Montgomery County Circuit Court, Ebert's lawyer, Mark Sobel, said he had "significant concerns regarding competency," The Baltimore Banner reports. Ebert, however, countered that he was "perfectly competent" and alleged that "every part of the police report is a lie."

As well as suggesting that his previous attorney had accepted a bribe, the accused went on to claim that he thought Sobel was working with the prosecution, adding, "I'm going to fire him."

"We can watch the video right now and prove my innocence," Ebert continued. "I did not commit a crime." Turnstile's former guitarist said he would be pressing charges against the arresting officers, the prosecutors and defence attorneys. Ebert, who's been incarcerated for five months, said that he never should've been arrested.

Judge Eric Johnson ordered him to undergo a competency evaluation, and scheduled a status hearing for September 22.

Ebert is facing a potential life sentence on a charge of attempted first-degree murder, as well as attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault and two counts of second-degree assault. Montgomery County Police found 79-year-old William Yates, his former bandmate's dad, in the front yard of his Silver Spring home with "trauma to his lower extremities."

Turnstile severed ties with Ebert in 2022, citing "a consistent pattern of harmful behaviour affecting himself, the band, and the community." Following the incident, the band wrote in a statement, "After exhausting every available resource to support his access to help and recovery, a boundary ultimately had to be set when healthy communication was no longer possible and he began threatening violence."

]]> Megan LaPierre @exclaim.ca https://exclaim.ca/contact https://exclaim.ca/music/article/oasis-are-teasing-something 2026-09-03T18:11:35.067Z

Reunited bruvs Oasis are teasing something.

Today, the band updated their Instagram with a video showing two boys (perhaps supposed to represent a younger version of the Gallagher brothers) sitting inside of what appears to be a fish 'n' chip shop while Oasis's 2002 single "Little by Little" plays quietly. The music video can be seen playing on the TV in the background.

There's no caption, so it's unclear what exactly this means.

Earlier this summer, Liam Gallagher dismissed the suggestion that Oasis would record a new album, but suggested that they would return to the road in 2027. He rejected the suggestion that they would play Glastonbury, however.

The band's reunion documentary is coming out next week.

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]]> Alex Hudson @exclaim.ca https://exclaim.ca/contact https://exclaim.ca/music/article/camilo-septimo-keyboardist-jonathan-melendez-pregnant-wife-child-and-nanny-murdered 2026-09-03T17:48:18.925Z

Jonathan Meléndez, the keyboardist for Mexican synth-pop/indie rock band Camilo Séptimo, was found murdered — alongside his pregnant wife, three-year-old daughter, nanny and family dog — at his home in Mexico City's Atizapán de Zaragoza municipality in a ghastly homicide on Tuesday (September 1).

According to a statement from the State of Mexico Prosecutor's Office and CNN, the bodies of the 38-year-old musician and his wife, 35-year-old Ana Paula Meléndez, who was four months pregnant, were discovered alongside that of 21-year-old Aleida Romero Victorio, who had worked for the couple as a nanny. 

The couple's three-year-old daughter was among the three victims who were shot in the back of the head, while one suffered a shot in the back. The family dog, whose legs were found tied up, was also shot. A six-year-old boy was found alive at the scene, unharmed.

Two men have been arrested in connection with the murders. One, identified as Diego Sebastián "N," an associate of Meléndez, is accused of being the probable perpetrator, having allegedly leveraged his relationship with the victim to gain access to the residence. The other man, identified as Gerardo "N," is also under investigation for his alleged involvement.

Camilo Séptimo said Meléndez would be remembered "with immense love and gratitude," writing in a statement shared to social media [translated from Spanish], "Today we honour and celebrate his life, his music, his light, and what he shared with those of us fortunate enough to know him and walk alongside him."

Formed between Meléndez, vocalist-bassist Manuel Mendoza and guitarist Erik Vázquez in 2013, and following the influences of acts like Devendra Banhart, Arctic Monkeys and Daft Punk, the band have been nominated for several awards, including at the IMAs and the MTV MIAW Awards. Having shared the stage with the likes of Belle and Sebastian and Kings of Leon, Camilo Séptimo have released four studio albums to date: 2017's Óleos, 2019's Navegantes, 2022's Ecos and, most recently, 2023's Jardín de las lamas.

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]]> Megan LaPierre @exclaim.ca https://exclaim.ca/contact https://exclaim.ca/music/article/adrianne-lenker-shares-update-on-big-thief-s-triple-album-horsepower 2026-09-03T15:55:27.980Z

Big Thief recently debuted their triple album Horsepower live. Now, singer-guitarist Adrianne Lenker has offered an update on the band's plans to release the studio version.

In an email to Big Thief's mailing list, Lenker wrote, "This collection of songs is my favorite so far." She wrote that the official release is "TBD but hoping for spring/summer."

Big Thief performed 29 songs at their Nashville show last month, and Lenker confirmed that this is indeed how many tracks they recorded for the album. They captured them over three weeks back in May.

The show featured appearances from Lucinda Williams, Gillian Welch, Rodney Crowell, Iris DeMent, Richard Bowden, Greg Leisz, Russ Pahl, Hannah Read and Zosha Warpeha. Lenker added that the album will also feature Bill Frisell and Mickey Raphael, although they couldn't be there for the show.

The show was captured on film and audio, and while Lenker didn't confirm how it will be released, the fact that she mentioned it suggests there will indeed be some sort of film or video.

Meanwhile, Big Thief are still on tour. They've got Canadian stops this month in Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton.

]]> Alex Hudson @exclaim.ca https://exclaim.ca/contact https://exclaim.ca/music/article/seat-geek-fined-25-000-under-ontario-s-ticket-reselling-laws 2026-09-03T14:39:13.913Z

Ontario has banned reselling tickets above face value, but it's proved difficult to enforce; Ticketmaster complied with the law, but other platforms have simply continued doing it anyway. Now, the province has handed out a $25,000 fine to SeatGeek in what's believed to be the first penalty applied under the law.

The province's Consumer Beware List [via The Globe and Mail] details three penalties given out on August 28. SeatGeek was fined $10,000 for making "a ticket available or facilitating the sale of a ticket [that] exceeded the resale price cap," another $10,000 for allowing a "sale without proof of total price when purchased from primary seller," and an additional $5,000 for "[failing] to disclose total price of ticket when purchased from the primary seller.

Reselling companies have claimed that they don't have access to the original pricing, making it difficult or impossible to prevent sellers from listing them for higher than face value.

SeatGeek and fellow ticketing platform StubHub have previously argued that Ontario's resale policy will increase Live Nation's market dominance by eliminating resale competition.

When Exclaim! did a deep dive into reselling back in June, we found an Angine de Poitrine ticket listed on StubHub for $1,769 — around 44 times more than its $40 face value.

"Policy is very important," Maddy Oliver of the Canadian Live Music Association told Exclaim!, "but policy means nothing without enforcement."

]]> Alex Hudson @exclaim.ca https://exclaim.ca/contact https://exclaim.ca/music/article/halifax-s-gus-pub-replaces-ai-show-posters-with-no-name-brand-template 2026-09-03T14:35:28.785Z

Gus' Pub is a staple of the Halifax live music community, and it's aiming to respect artists of all kinds by absolutely clowning on musicians who use AI to make their gig posters.

The venue was the subject of a Global News report last night, where bartender TJ Ploughman said Gus' is not accepting AI posters from artists set to play their space. If one is submitted anyway, they'll re-make the poster with a template that mimics No Name branding.

"As a staff, we're all musicians. We're all artists. So we decided to just basically be the landmark for purely human artistry," Ploughman said.

Until September 5, Gus' has a Google Form live where artists and graphic designers can apply to be added to their poster designer roster. This is meant to be a contact list so that local performers have resources to reach out to real artists to design posters for them.

See a clip of the news broadcast below.

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]]> Sydney Brasil @exclaim.ca https://exclaim.ca/contact https://exclaim.ca/music/article/rogers-stadium-hit-hard-by-toronto-storm 2026-09-04T19:58:00.000Z

Like clockwork, Toronto has had its big one in terms of annual rainstorms, and the carnage is everywhere — including Rogers Stadium, the city's newest and largest outdoor concert venue.

UPDATE (9/4, 3:50 p.m. ET): As CP24 reports, the City of Toronto has now issued an "order to remedy an unsafe building" to Live Nation.

The operator must get a third-party engineer to report on the measures that must be taken to make the building safe to occupy, and report back by September 8 for recommendations on further action.

"The damage to the north stands is quite significant," Area Councillor James Pasternak told CTV News. "They have collapsed. And it is a major operation to clear the rubble and restore it."

While he didn't rule out that the stadium could be fixed in time for the scheduled AC/DC concert on September 16, he said it was getting less likely.

"They have to rebuild those northern stands based on the requirements of a third-party engineer to study safety strategies. That is not something you do on the back of a napkin," Pasternak said.

UPDATE (9/3, 3:58 p.m. ET): In a statement shared with Pollstar, a spokesperson for promoter Live Nation said, "As a result of yesterday's extreme weather, Rogers Stadium sustained significant damage. As always, the safety of our employees and on-site contractors is our top priority. Fortunately, no one was injured during the extreme weather event. We are currently assessing the extent of the damage and will provide further information as it becomes available."

The fate of the upcoming AC/DC show remains unknown.

Helicopter footage from CP24's Chopper 24 shows what the news outlet is calling "significant damage" sustained to the stadium's bleachers and beyond. Entire sections of the 50,000-capacity venue's seating areas appear to have collapsed from the destructive wind and heavy rain, as well as various other structures in the Fan Plaza.

City Manager Paul Johnson told CP24 that the amount of rain Toronto got yesterday (September 2) — up to 110 mm in some areas — qualifies as what would be referred to as a "100-year storm." Several major roadways have reopened following flooding and fallen trees, but thousands of residents remain without electricity.

The next scheduled show at Rogers Stadium is AC/DC's POWER UP tour stop on September 16.

Photos from Chopper 24 show dramatic images of Rogers Stadium, which appears to have sustained significant damage during Wednesday's storm.

No shows are scheduled this week at the stadium, located at Downsview Park, but AC/DC is expected to perform on Sept. 16.… pic.twitter.com/xi6XCVuCzj

— CP24 (@CP24) September 3, 2026

#NEW: Major damage spotted at Rogers Stadium following yesterday's storm, just two weeks before AC/DC performs there on September 16. #ONstorm

Live updates here: https://t.co/BKuGjX6gB7 pic.twitter.com/5tw9km1rzn

— Jermaine Wilson | CP24/CTV News (@Jerrmainewilson) September 3, 2026

]]> Megan LaPierre @exclaim.ca https://exclaim.ca/contact https://exclaim.ca/music/article/amelia-dimoldenberg-s-chicken-shop-date-series-to-end-after-12-years 2026-09-03T14:05:52.540Z

Chicken has become the backbone of celebrity interviews. However, one of the most influential chicken-based video series is now about to have its final cluck: Amelia Dimoldenberg has announced that, after 12 years, she'll be bringing Chicken Shop Date to an end.

The London, UK-based host — who initially founded Chicken Shop Date when she was 17 as a print column for a magazine run out of a local youth centre — announced in a statement shared to social media that she'll be moving on from the algorithm-conquering series after "a few final dates."

Spearheaded by the charm of her deadpan, boldly flirtatious questioning style, Dimoldenberg's show has featured dates with the likes of Paul McCartney, Billie Eilish, Andrew Garfield and Sabrina Carpenter, as well as Canadian exports Shania Twain, Kaytranada and more.

"I never thought I'd stop Chicken Shop Date, I thought maybe it would be a part of me forever, and in some way it always will, but I feel like it's now time to move on from this adventure and onto a new one," Dimoldenberg admitted. As per Deadline, she's currently developing a young adult drama for the BBC, as well as a rom-com film for Orion Pictures.

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]]> Megan LaPierre @exclaim.ca https://exclaim.ca/contact