Co-headlining tours are all the rage lately. If that's not a recession indicator, I'm not sure what is! But really, it makes a whole lot of sense that this type of show that's been around for decades is so popular in this particularly hellish pandemic-era touring economy.
While some pairings admittedly kind of scream that neither act could sell out the venue on their own accord, others make it feel like this was something the artists themselves pushed for, knowing how kismet it would be. Renowned pals and collaborators Waxahatchee and MJ Lenderman are obviously one such pair whose music not only intermingles seamlessly, but the genuine friendship between them casts a warm, comfortable glow.
Toronto was lucky enough to be invited to sit in on their living room jam session last night (April 25) at Massey Hall, the stage lit with a selection of vintage-looking table lamps as Katie Crutchfield and Lenderman perched themselves on chairs atop Persian rugs. There was even an old TV flickering with static as they played like an old-timey waveform.
Also on the sitcom set were Cole Berggren (banjo/keyboard) and scene-stealer Colin Croom (pedal steel/lap steel/electric guitar), as well as a stuffed dog who would probably hate the protagonist(?) of Lenderman's Manning Fireworks title track, which opened the show.
He and Crutchfield went back and forth, taking turns taking lead as they made their way through songs from their own catalogues (plus a track from Crutchfield and her sister Allison's recent Snocaps album, which Lenderman also played on), as well as a bunch of covers, guitar techs bringing out new pre-tuned instruments between.
There was little talking in the interim, save for some short introductions to certain tracks, including Crutchfield calling back to the last time she played Massey Hall in 2024 shortly after the release of the Lenderman-assisted Tigers Blood — a show that saw her 2018 Great Thunder EP cut "Chapel of Pines" be "resurrected" — further proving that this co-headlining pairing really does come from a place of actual desire to do something special with a dear friend and inspiring peer.
Lenderman got a laugh when he teed up playing two new songs, "'Cause they're in the same key,' he explained in his slow drawl, "and it's easy to do it that way." (Somehow nobody laughed when he sang the "Joker Lips" line about draining cum from hotel showers, though, or yelled "HIMBO DOME" during "Wristwatch." Very respectful crowd!)
Depending on how you feel about the alt-country movement that's been steadily gaining more and more momentum over the last several years, you know Crutchfield and Lenderman's names as among the ones to thank or curse. Along with Lenderman's band Wednesday, they've been crucial innovators in this burgeoning embrace of the countrification of indie rock: this twangy, all-American-style of guitar-driven music that has become one of the prevailing trends of the 2020s.
But beyond that, I was struck by the ways in which their songwriting intersected and diverged. Both seem to derive satisfaction from their craft in a similar way: Lenderman's wry observations and extrapolations to absurd fictional scenarios let the ridiculousness of life underscore the brokenhearted divorced dad cynicism; the line "Please don't laugh / Only half of what I said was a joke" ("Joker Lips") just about sums it up.
Meanwhile, Crutchfield's cleverness comes in more subtly, waxing referential at the end of a stanza in an unforced way that never comes across as the set-up for a punchline, but has a parallel anecdotal specificity that allows a universal truism to land like a riddle being solved in real-time. There's something about her voice, so soft yet knuckled up by a dustbowl bite of twang, that makes you hang on her every word like she might be an oracle in a flowy dress.
The Venn diagram of Waxahatchee and MJ Lenderman fans could be considered mostly a circle, then, but they seem to connect across generations. There weren't many super-young people taking Massey's velvety seats last night, but there were plenty of attendees in their 20s and 30s (like the artists), as well as a healthy turnout of those with an additional decade or two (or three) on them.
The storytelling typically associated with country music has always had a way of doing this; it's a tale as old as time — even if you're one of the people on Music Twitter begging every band to stop using pedal steel on their albums, you have to admit as much. Speaking of, Croom's steel contributions brought so much depth and raw emotionality to Lenderman and Crutchfield's arrangements, as well as some comic relief during the former's "You Don't Know the Shape I'm In," mimicking the clarinet's lonesome duckwalk.
They closed the nearly two-hour show by bringing charismatic opener Brennan Wedl back out to join them for a series of covers, ending with a cover of "Six O'Clock News" by Kathleen Edwards — "My Canadian queen," gushed Crutchfield, for whom singing about having a baby "hit[s] a little different" now, she told the crowd at the tour opener in Atlanta, GA, earlier this month. If they really are able to pick up on sounds from the womb during pregnancy, this Waxahatchling is being primed for a life less ultra-modern than the world we're inhabiting.
The Waxahatchee/MJ Lenderman crossover road show truly does feel like it could have happened decades ago. It was only for "Right Back to It," the sweet summer haze of a Lenderman-featuring lead single from Tigers Blood, that I saw multiple phones being brought out by people in front of me on the floor — and even then, it was only a few, and only to capture a brief audio-visual memento.
Maybe we really did go back in time for a couple of hours. Undeniably, there was rarified air. It was the type of performance that settles in, and settles something inside you; a breath you didn't even realize you were holding.
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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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Quiet Light's "Berlin" is easily one of my favourite songs of the year so far, so I've been looking forward to hearing the world around it expand with the release of art-pop songwriter/producer Riya Mahesh's new mixtape, Blue Angel Sparkling Silver 2 — a sequel to 2023's Blue Angel Sparkling Star.
For Mahesh, the project closes the distance between her bedroom studio in Austin and her current home base of Boston, where she's completing her medical school training. Blue Angel Sparkling Silver 2 feels appropriately transitory, flitting between clipped-and-chopped hyperpop, driving indie rock, ambient-leaning electronica and Fred again..-recalling voice memo snippets, with a seemingly endless daze of gauzy synths as the shared entry point.
This lends the project a cohesion and a charming, homespun quality that makes it all too easy to picture Mahesh on a laptop, translating this phase of her life into textured, tender dispatches that really bring the bedroom back to bedroom pop. That said, Blue Angel Sparkling Silver 2 feels so expansive that the shapes these songs take are constantly in transit, bridging the gaps that can yawn between moments amid the turbulence of transitions.
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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Every week, we reconnect with our primal hunting-and-gathering instincts to put together The Eh! List, a curated playlist of the best new Canadian music — a place where the latest tracks from faithful CanCon favourites and burgeoning new discoveries collide.
This roundup features fresh releases from Jayda G, Ralph, Cadence Weapon, Thierry Larose, Metric, Atsuko Chiba, sundayclub, Mock Media, Sarah McLachlan and more. You can also catch up on the latest album releases here.
Listen below on Spotify or Apple Music.
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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
Dave Grohl seems confused.
"Do I? Do I? Do I? Do I?" he screeches in the opening seconds of the latest Foo Fighters LP, Your Favorite Toy. More questions, vague and open-ended, crop up with shocking frequency across the album's 10 tracks: "Hey, aren't you who I think you are?" "What is real?" "Am I a part of you?"
Perhaps Grohl is experiencing some sort of mid-life crisis, a destabilization of reality. Or perhaps this state of confusion is simply a permanent side-effect caused by decades spent fronting one of the most incessantly clamorous bands in the history of modern rock music. Indeed, after listening to Your Favorite Toy multiple times for the purpose of this review, I too felt dazed, and slightly unmoored from reality.
Most music sounds better through headphones. It's easier to get lost in the mix; more fun to pick up on minor details or intricate production choices. Not so with the Foo Fighters, whose signature sound — hard-driving drums, a never-ending tidal wave of distorted power chords, Grohl's burly growls — is about as subtle a construction site.
In the '90s, this maximalist approach combined with Grohl's earnest charisma, felt exciting — an exuberant rush of energy to wash away the gloomy hangover from the grunge explosion. But over the past three decades, the band's output has become increasingly bland and grating, like a slightly damaged radio playing in a cramped garage.
Midway through my first listen to Your Favorite Toy — the 12th Foo Fighters LP, by the way — I found myself ripping my headphones off, not unlike that José Mourinho meme. I switched over to external speakers, which sounded a bit better, though I didn't dare turn the volume up past 75 percent.
To be fair, the Foos do sound reinvigorated here. They seem to have a newfound pep in their step, thanks in no small part to the presence of Ilan Rubin — a former Nine Inch Nails drummer who replaced former Nine Inch Nails drummer Josh Freese, who was reportedly fired by the band in 2025 (it's confusing).
Anyways, Rubin's drumming here is crisp and tightly mechanical, and provides the record with a much-needed a jolt of youthful energy: these songs are faster and heavier than much of the band's recent output, at times harkening back to the more freewheeling sound that defined their early days.
Grohl, too, seems particularly keyed up. It's genuinely impressive that the man can sing (or, more often on this record, scream) like this at the age of 57 — a skill he chalks up to whiskey and beer (rock 'n' roll is still alive, amiright?).
This newfound alchemy pays occasional dividends. The album's title track is a crunchy, high-energy and (dare I say) dance-y affair — look out, a mid-song guitar solo! — and it probably rips live. It's the closest the band has ever come to sounding like Queens of the Stone Age, a comparison that would be far more interesting if Grohl's band possessed even a degree of the dangerous licentiousness of Josh Homme and co.
Elsewhere, the Foos dabble in punk, like on the spiky screamer "Spite Shine." And they even dip their toes in prog-metal on "Asking for a Friend," a track that features a shockingly heavy guitar riff that, if isolated, could pass for Tool (I'm not joking!).
These experimental detours offer a refreshing respite from standard Foo fare. The problem is that the band too rarely commits to these new ideas; rarely lets them breathe or expand. On almost every song, they retreat to that clamorous, mid-tempo centre where they're most comfortable. Take "Window," which opens with a saucy little groove, but quickly transitions to a chorus that sounds nearly identical to at least a dozen other Foo Fighters songs.
That sense of monotony has plagued the Foo Fighters for much of the 21st century. As a songwriter, Grohl is most effective when he leans into dynamism. Classic Foo songs like "Monkey Wrench," "All My Life" or even "Best of You" worked because Grohl knew how to withhold, and eventually unleash his screams for maximum emotional catharsis.
On Your Favorite Toy, it's all loud and all fast all the time. (One notable exception is "If You Only Knew," a relatively straightforward rock song that nonetheless stands out thanks to an excellent hook.) Compounding this problem is the fact that Grohl remains a frustratingly boring lyricist.
In recent weeks, he made headlines for making "a rare political statement," astutely noting that his country is "divided" and "there needs to be change." The lyrics of "Amen, Caveman," which I suppose is the most politically-charged song on Your Favorite Toy, are similarly indeterminate and inane: "Generation euthanized / Go run for cover / You're in for a big surprise / A simulation to keep you at bay / A stimulation and it's bombs away."
Clocking in at just over 36 minutes, Your Favorite Toy is the shortest album in the Foo Fighters' sprawling discography, though you wouldn't know that by listening to it.
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Twenty years ago, a humble preteen girl visited a thrift store in Kelowna, BC, for the first time. I still remember every detail of the dress in the shop that caught my eye: an ivory white silk slip with a ruched waist and an eyelet lace collar that reached high up the neck, with sterling silver clasps that came together neatly in the back.
In today's lingo, the piece would be called "true vintage." It was from the '50s or '60s and definitely someone's wedding dress, or maybe something they'd slipped on for a more intimate moment post-ceremony. "I'd like to get married in a dress like that one day," I thought to myself. It was priced at $20, and truly one-of-a-kind. Naturally, I didn't buy it. To this day, I've never found another one like it.
Once upon a time, "true vintage" pieces like that were reasonably priced, and available in abundance. Value Village had a terrible reputation as the kind of place "sketchy" people shopped at, and persistent urban legends made being stabbed in a fitting room there feel like a very real possibility. There were no ads, no social media campaigns, and definitely no Halloween sections — just fluorescent lights and people trying to survive the best they could.
Wearing thrifted clothes and shoes were one of the class markers that got you bullied growing up in the early aughts. Thrift stores were decidedly uncool; a place your well-intentioned mom took you to instead of the mall, despite endless pleading. They smelled like artificial lavender and Lysol, with rolled-up socks in plastic bins alongside unwashed boys' gym shorts, flame shirts, bedazzled jeans and grungy sneakers.
I'm typically not a fan of inserting myself into the reviews I write — let alone in attempting to critique the new record of someone who is a seasoned music critic himself — but in this instance, I feel like it emphasizes the cultural shift of the art of thrifting in Canada; something that's gone from embarrassing to très chic in a mere two decades.
Cadence Weapon's latest release Forager is an ode to this cultural phenomenon, told from the perspective of someone whose first job was working at a vintage store in Edmonton. A concept album paying homage to the golden age of hip-hop, it's rife with lyrical references to the collaborative albums of the Alchemist, with beats crafted by Junia-T that evoke MF DOOM and J Dilla nostalgia. Created by a former poet laureate, it's sealed with verbose rhymes and a pen game straight from an inkwell.
First and foremost, the artist born Rollie Pemberton is a writer — that much is clear in abundance, from the scathing social criticism found within 2021's Polaris Prize-winning Parallel World to the electronic grime of Hope in Dirt City. Even on deep cuts like "Connor McDavid," Pemberton's always been great at putting his finger to the pulse of what's relevant in any given cultural moment.
But there's something that doesn't quite sit right with his latest release, and, unlike him, I'm still having some trouble putting my finger on it. Perhaps it's the record's accompanying write-up, which explains Weapon's fascination with thrifting: "I was getting so good at finding cool stuff at rock-bottom prices that I turned it into a business," he writes, describing the trials and tribulations of launching his own reselling venture.
On his Substack, Weapon further details the adventures of rescuing valuable pieces from a rag house and selling them at a pop-up in Hamilton. That's the place where I was born, to a postal worker father and a librarian mother. I don't remember it much, because we moved to an even smaller and more remote Canadian town soon after.
Perhaps it's some of the lines found on the record, which speak of customs only accessible to the Toronto-dwelling upper echelon. Pemberton describes himself perfectly as "Sonically adventurous / Chronically vociferous," humble-bragging, "I don't pay no rent," and, "Excellence is what I channel through my network." He's a wife guy, boasting that his girl "looks like she dates creative directors."
There's certainly class criticism baked into lines proclaiming, "I will never ever work for a tech jerk / Who steps in dirt and claims that it's his best work" ("Raghouse"), but what's also apparent is an element of choice in Weapon's experiences — like going on a "Babymoon" — that simply aren't available to some. It's a bizarre take coming from a guy I've seen grace many a folk festival stage in and around Alberta.
To say Cadence Weapon's music has been gentrified is way too far a stretch, and probably something that would piss him off. But his new record does succeed in matching the cultural shift that's occurred around thrifting, something that used to be reserved exclusively for poor people that's now pursued as a savvy entrepreneurial business adventure. The rise of vintage resellers like Pemberton has undoubtedly removed the accessibility of thrifting from those who need it most, the whole process — based on "salvaging" items from recycling plants or charity shops — ferrying thrifting to artsy community markets and jacking up the price.
That's where a large portion of fashionable Gen Z and millennials now source their clothes, as fast fashion is continually made with the cheapest possible materials by people working in the worst possible conditions. There's a shared sense amongst resellers that what they do is form of "rescuing," but does taking a quality item away from a community in need (and then selling it with a 30 percent markup) really do anything to save the world?
There are some definite strengths in the record, usually when Pemberton's cadence leans more towards syncopation (e.g., "Yves Klein Blue"). The beats on Forager were composed by Junia-T, whose jazz-influenced 2020 record Studio Monk sent shockwaves across the country when it was first released. Tinker-tailored using samples then replaced with live instrumentation, it's a bold way to approach beatmaking, especially in the age of AI-generated music.
Pemberton claims the songs aren't "about anything" in particular, but the exploration of colour on "Yves Klein Blue" combined with the eroticism of its beat harken back to the Kool Keith epoch of crate-digging. Lines about the mysterious origin of garments "carefully soaked in a vat of indigo" speak to fashion's colonial history and the ubiquity of the blue jean: an American wardrobe staple built on the back of slavery. This harkens back to Parallel World's social critique, although it's far more subtle, lockstitched over a beat that sounds like it came from the laptop of a rapper like monti (Chester Watson) or R.A.P. Ferreira.
In an age where hip-hop doesn't have quite the radio prevalence and mass industry appeal it once did, independent thrift stores are increasingly hard to come by (unlike the for-profit Value Village, which is now a massive corporate conglomerate), making true vintage pieces like the Burberry shirts and discontinued Ralph Lauren boots Pemberton covets even more difficult to find. Maybe that's the point of Forager, and I just don't get it; I've definitely never had the luxury of owning an abundance of jackets, new or thrifted. Then again, I don't have the Woolmark logo tattooed on me either.
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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
Far be it for anyone to dictate what a Beatle can or can't do, but what's going on with Ringo Starr lately? Since turning 80, he'd seemed happy to ease into semi-retirement: less touring, no more albums and — of course — no more fanmail. Then, seemingly out of nowhere in 2025, he released Look Up — a blindsiding blend of country and Americana (complete with a cowboy hat on the cover), marking his first earnest dalliance with the genre in a half-century.
Starr's now backed that up with his second country album in as many years, Long Long Road. How did we end up here? It seemingly boils down to country veteran T Bone Burnett, who produced both albums in a collaboration that's clearly been fruitful. Burnett apparently believes that the Beatle's music "feels like Texas," which, while kind, feels almost as deluded as Timbaland envisioning Chris Cornell as "the first rockstar in the club" back in 2009.
Granted, there are moments on Long Long Road where Burnett almost makes his case: the rollicking "Baby Don't Go" is endearing, and Ringo is especially having fun on line dance-ready "Why." Much like Brian Wilson's feature-heavy No Pier Pressure, however, Starr mostly feels like a guest on his own album.
An impressive array of stars bring the ten-gallon vision to life, from virtuosos like Billy Strings and Sarah Jarosz to fellow genre outsiders like St. Vincent and Sheryl Crow. However, it's a double-edged sword: you're so busy picking out who's on what, you've almost entirely forgotten about Ringo — who, for the most part, isn't exactly giving you a reason to pay attention to him.
It's hard to begrudge Long Long Road entirely, though. Burnett's production gives the affair both refined sheen and rustic charm, and Starr's voice has barely aged since he first sang about being under the sea (both in an octopus's garden and a yellow submarine). That said, it's telling that both of those scenarios feel more believable on record than Sir Ringo being a Texas-sized country star. He's gotten by with a little help from his friends, but just barely.
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People forget this, but about a decade ago, everyone used to really like Drake! People thought he was cute, and his career was one long succession of meme formats and viral dance challenges.
This week was a throwback to the old days, because all anyone could talk about was the big ice block he constructed in Toronto. Perhaps it wasn't quite as good as one of those "Hotline Bling" reaction memes, but still! For the first time, everyone was talking about Drake and it had nothing to do with him being accused of being a sex pest, and that's a win. Here are this week's funniest music memes and entertainment shitposts.
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So many album releases, so little time. It goes without saying that there is an absolute wealth of new music being released on a weekly basis, so here's a handy little page to help you keep track of what's out today (in bold below), as well as recent releases from the past couple of weeks and what's on the horizon for the next couple.
Look for the little flag emoji to denote fresh homegrown LPs, and check out The Eh! List for more of the week's best new Canadian music.
April 10
Mitch Allen - Songs for No One (Independent) 🇨🇦
As Everything Unfolds - Did You Ask to Be Set Free? (Century Media)
Maude Audet - Que ta lumière (Bravo musique) 🇨🇦
Aysanabee - Timelines (Ishkōdé Records) 🇨🇦
Bilmuri - KINDA HARD (Columbia Records)
Brown Horse - Total Dive (Loose Music)
Dominique Claire - Wiser (I Thought I'd Know Better, but I Don't) (Productions Cap. Claire) 🇨🇦
Fantastic Cat - Cat Out of Hell (Missing Piece Records)
Flore Laurentienne - Volume III (Secret City Records) 🇨🇦
The Fugitives - The Fugitives (Rhea Records) 🇨🇦
Juni Habel - Evergreen in My Mind (Basin Rock)
Holly Humberstone - Cruel World (Interscope)
I AM THE AVALANCHE - THE HORROW SHOW (Equal Vision Records)
The Itch - It's the Hope That Kills You (Fiction Records / I Oh You)
Joe Jackson - Hope and Fury (Sharp Practice / earMUSIC)
Kaeley Jade - The Great Unknown (Independent) 🇨🇦
Jazzlab Orchestra - Glissement du temps (Effendi Records) 🇨🇦
Wesley Joseph - Forever Ends Someday (Secretly Canadian)
Dee Joyce - L'heure d'aimer (Bohemaa Communication) 🇨🇦
Gary Klebe - Out Loud (Black Vinyl Records)
Ella Langley - Dandelion (SAWGOD Records / Columbia Records)
Les Louanges - Alouette! (Bonsound) 🇨🇦
Lime Garden - Maybe Not Tonight (So Young)
Rachel Lime - STORIES (Many Hats Distribution)
Matt MacNeil - Floating Away (ArtHaus / The Orchard) 🇨🇦
mage tears - cats in the cold (Lauren Records) 🇨🇦
The Maine - Joy Next Door (Photo Finish Records / 8123)
Melvins & Napalm Death - Savage Imperial Death March (Ipecac)
My New Band Believe - My New Band Believe (Rough Trade)
Øbelisk - Call to Oblivion (S02 Records / Phage Tapes) 🇨🇦
Greg Orrē - I Am in It, Vol. 3: The Re-Education of Gregory (Independent) 🇨🇦
Peach Pit - Live in 25 (Columbia Records) 🇨🇦
Prism Shores - Softest Attack (Having Fun / Meritorio Records) 🇨🇦
Snoop Dogg - 10 Til' Midnight (Death Row Records / gamma.)
Spirit Adrift - Infinite Illumination (20 Buck Spin)
Rae Spoon - Assigned Country Singer at Birth (Coax) 🇨🇦
Squarepusher - Kammerkonzert (Warp Records)
St.Arnaud - St.Arnaud (Cordova Bay Records) 🇨🇦
Hiroki Tanaka - Isan (Errant Records) 🇨🇦
Tenille Townes - The Acrobat (Township Road Songs) 🇨🇦
Theo Vandenhoff - Saviour on the Spilled Blood (Artoffact Records) 🇨🇦
WU LYF - A Wave That Will Never Break (The L Y F Community)
April 17
Accessory - Dust (ACX)
Arkells - Between Us (Independent) 🇨🇦
bandcalledmax - Live at the Cameron House (Victory Pool Records) 🇨🇦
Irem Bekter - This Winding Road (Independent) 🇨🇦
Yaya Bey - Fidelity (drink sum wtr)
blesse - Transit (Simone Records) 🇨🇦
Brass Camel - Brass Camel (Independent) 🇨🇦
Chief State - Keep Your Friends Closer (Mutant League Records) 🇨🇦
The Devin Cuddy Band - Livin' Hard Ain't Easy (Independent) 🇨🇦
Cédric Dind-Lavoie - Collages (2019-2022) (Independent) 🇨🇦
Femi Luna - Wash My Pain Away (Independent) 🇨🇦
Frog - Frog for Sale (tapewormies)
Héron - Verger (Big in the Garden) 🇨🇦
Honey Dijon - Nightlife (SOS / Blacktopia)
Daniel Isaiah - Western Medicine (Independent) 🇨🇦
SOFIA ISELLA - Something is a shell (Independent)
Kuru - Backstage Hologram (deadAir)
Lucy Liyou - Mr Cobra (Orange Milk)
LØLØ - god forbid a girl spits out her feelings (Fearless Records) 🇨🇦
Meloire - Bisou Triste (Disques Passporte) 🇨🇦
Kathryn Mohr - Carve (The Flenser)
Nameless Friends - The Quiet Part, Loudly (Independent) 🇨🇦
Nine Inch Nails, Boys Noize - Nine Inch Noize (The Null Corporation / Boysnoize Records)
Sofiane Pamart - Movie (Warner)
Paste - Thanks, Roy (Independent) 🇨🇦
Johnny Payne - Dazzle Me (Independent) 🇨🇦
Pro Wrestling - Weanling (Thick Freakness) 🇨🇦
Owen Riegling - In the Feeling (Universal / Big Loud) 🇨🇦
John Summit - CTRL ESCAPE (Experts Only / Darkroom Records)
Teen Suicide - Nude descending staircase headless (Run for Cover Records)
Tiga - HOT LIFE (Turbo Recordings / Secret City Records) 🇨🇦
They Might Be Giants - The World Is to Dig (Idewild Recordings)
Thunderor - Bleed for It (Boonsdale Records) 🇨🇦
Tokischa - Amor & Droga (SOL)
Jessie Ware - Superbloom (Interscope Records)
Yot Club - Simpleton (Amuse)
Zayn - KONNAKOL (Mercury Records)
April 24
The Amity Affliction - House of Cards (Pure Noise)
Armed for Apocalypse - THE EARTH IS BREATHING BENEATH ME (Church Road Records)
Atsuko Chiba - Atsuko Chiba (Mothland) 🇨🇦
At the Gates - The Ghost of a Future Dead (Century Media)
Elysia Biro - Running from Nothing (Universal) 🇨🇦
Simon Boisseau - Les fausses illusions (Bravo musique) 🇨🇦
Tom Bronson - A Collection of Sad Boy Sing-Alongs & Acoustic Country Waltzes (Independent) 🇨🇦
Cadence Weapon - Forager (Six Shooter Records) 🇨🇦
Laurence Castera - Les choses qui nous liaient (Coyote Records) 🇨🇦
Kelly Clipperton - I Am Your Distraction (Renaissance Projects) 🇨🇦
CRi - AMi vol. 1 (Anjunadeep / Happy Life) 🇨🇦
Julia Cumming - Julia (Partisan Records)
Carla dal Forno - Confession (Kallista Records)
Dead Bob - Nothing Changes Everything (Wrong Records) 🇨🇦
Angelo De Augustine - Angel in Plainclothes (Asthmatic Kitty)
Allen Dobb - The Afterlife Sessions (Skipping Stone Music) 🇨🇦
Dorian Electra - Dorian Electra (Independent)
Bobby Dove - Fortune Teller (New Motor Records) 🇨🇦
Failure - Location Lost (Failure Records / Arduous Records / Virgin)
Foo Fighters - Your Favorite Toy (Roswell Records / RCA Records)
Friko - Something Worth Waiting For (ATO Records)
Jody Glenham - Still Here (Nettwerk Music Group) 🇨🇦
Glen Hansard - Transmissions East (Vol. 1) (Plateau / Secretly Distribution)
Hrishikesh Hirway - In the Last Hour of Light (Keeled Scales)
Hooper - Super Duper (Independent)
Noah Kahan - The Great Divide (Universal)
Kehlani - Kehlani (Warner)
The Leaving - Ultimate Buzz (Avenue A Records / Futures ✦)
Loukeman - Sd-3 (September Recordings) 🇨🇦
Gia Margaret - Singing (Jagjaguwar)
Metric - Romanticize the Dive (Thirty Tigers) 🇨🇦
Miss Grit - Under My Umbrella (Mute Records)
Pastel Blank - Unmade in Minutes (Paper Bag Records) 🇨🇦
Portrayal of Guilt - …Beginning of the End (Run for Cover Records)
Quiet Light - Blue Angel Sparkling Silver 2 (True Panther)
The Saddest Landscape - Alone with Heaven (Iodine Recordings)
Some Fear - Word Eater (Rite Field Records)
Ringo Starr - Long Long Road (Universal)
Terror - Still Suffer (Flatspot Records)
Thin Lear - Many Disappeared (First City Artists)
tofusmell - All My Time (Hardly Art) 🇨🇦
TV Star - Music for Heads (Father/Daughter Records)
Lolo Zouaï - Reverie (Because Music)
May 1
Ace of Wands - Future Wave (Independent) 🇨🇦
American Football - LP4 (Polyvinyl)
Tori Amos - In Times of Dragons (Universal / Fontana Records)
The Black Keys - Peaches! (Easy Eye Sound / Parlophone Records)
Door d'Or - The Exquisite Dream (Independent) 🇨🇦
Drucker - See Myself Out (Independent) 🇨🇦
Eden FM - Ataxia (Cursus Audio / ADA Music) 🇨🇦
Mat Elliott - Video Games (Independent) 🇨🇦
Ellen Froese - Solitary Songs (Victory Pool Records) 🇨🇦
Eric Gabriel - Lucky Day Roadrunner (Independent)
Glum - Nature Isn't Healing (zBTFD) 🇨🇦
Goo - Oh Well, Oh Well (Record Plant Records)
Geordie Gordon - River Round (Victory Pool Records) 🇨🇦
Handsome Tiger - First People II (Amelia Recordings) 🇨🇦
Maya Hawke - Maitreya Corso (Mom+Pop)
Hiss Golden Messenger - I'm People (Chrysalis Records)
Kneecap - FENIAN (Heavenly Recordings)
Lip Critic - Theft World (Partisan Records)
Emma Louise - Sunshine for Happiness (Future Classic)
Melanie C - Sweat (Red Girl)
Modern Woman - Johnny's Dreamworld (One Little Independent)
Kacey Musgraves - Middle of Nowhere (Lost Highway)
Maisy Owen - Dark on a Sunny Day (Tompkins Square)
Paisley Fields - Are U Mad at Me (Don Giovanni Records)
Pasquale - Specials 2 (Hand'Solo Records) 🇨🇦
Psychobuildings - Tears Vol 1 (GLGL)
Isaiah Rashad - It's Been Awful (TDE)
Ernie-Rioux Roussel Trio - TERR (UNI musiqc) 🇨🇦
Seefeel - Sol.Hz (Warp Records)
Sevendust - One (Napalm Records)
John Shambles - Cabin Fever (Black Box Recordings Inc.) 🇨🇦
Shub - Heritage (Part Two) (Independent) 🇨🇦
Spell - Wretched Heart (Bad Omen Records)
Sub*T - How My Own Voice Sounds (Independent)
Caley Watts - River's Daughter (Independent) 🇨🇦
Weird Nightmare - Hoopla (Dine Alone Records / Sub Pop) 🇨🇦
WHIPPED CREAM - Home Was Always Me (Monstercat) 🇨🇦
youbet - youbet (Hardly Art)
Young the Giant - Victory Garden (Jungle Youth Records / Fearless Records)
May 8
Alaskan Tapes - Blank Slate, Open Space (We All Speak in Poems) 🇨🇦
Basement - Wired (Run for Cover Records)
Beau Nectar - Dandy (Indica Records) 🇨🇦
Black Veil Brides - Vindicate (Spinefarm Records)
Broken Social Scene - Remember the Humans (Arts & Crafts) 🇨🇦
Ray Bull - Please Stop Laughing (AWAL)
Chinese American Bear - Dim Sum & Then Some (Moshi Moshi Records)
Cola - Cost of Living Adjustment (Fire Talk Records) 🇨🇦
Croz Boyce - Croz Boyce (Domino Recording Co.)
Deb Never - ARCADE (GIANT)
Kurt Deimer - A Grog is Born (Bald Man Records)
Olof Dreijer - Loud Boom (dh2)
Fire-Toolz - Lavender Networks (Warp Records)
The Flatliners - Cold World (Dine Alone Records / Equal Vision) 🇨🇦
Ellen Froese - Solitary Songs (Victory Pool Records) 🇨🇦
General Chaos - Can't Please 'Em All (Stomp Records) 🇨🇦
Greenhouse Ensemble - Mezzanine (Independent) 🇨🇦
Aldous Harding - Train on the Island (4AD)
The Haunted Youth - Boys Cry Too (Play It Again Sam)
Stix Hooper - Cookin' Up the Groove (Stix Hooper Enterprises)
Ingested - Denigration (Metal Blade Records)
Loraine James - Detached from the Rest of You (Hyperdub)
Karcius - Black Soul Sickness (Independent) 🇨🇦
Kiesza - Dancing and Crying: Volume 3 (ZST) 🇨🇦
Khôra & Mas Aya - Primordial Mind (Marionette) 🇨🇦
Nicholas Krgovich - Boss Tape (Orindal Records) 🇨🇦
Abigail Lapell - Shadow Child (Outside Music) 🇨🇦
The Lemon Twist - Look for Your Mind! (Captured Tracks)
lucky break - made it! (Fire Records)
Lykke Li - The Afterparty (Neon Gold Records / Futures✦)
McCaslin Dahle - MXD (We Are Busy Bodies) 🇨🇦
MUNA - Dancing on the Wall (Saddest Factory Records)
runo plum - Bloom Again (Winspear)
Laura Roy - Late Bloomer Season (AURA Music) 🇨🇦
sadie - Better Angels (Bloody Knuckles)
Social Distortion - Born to Kill (Epitaph Records)
Sunforger - Weight (Cooked Raw / Julia's War) 🇨🇦
Unwed Sailor - High Remembrance (Current Taste)
War on Women - Time Under Tension (Smartpunk Records)
Whitehorse - All I Want Is All of It (Six Shooter Records) 🇨🇦
Aaron Wylder - Brand New TV (Independent) 🇨🇦
This week's newly announced tours coming to Canada include Beck (pictured above), Geese's flocking to Toronto this fall, as well as expanded tours from Concrete Vehicles and the Lowest of the Low, and Voivod booking a show in 2027.
Head over to Concert Central for more Canadian tour announcements, listings, show reviews and more.
aespa Tour Dates:
09/15 Hamilton, ON - Venue TBA
10/11 Vancouver, BC - Venue TBA
Beck Tour Dates:
09/16 Vancouver, BC - Queen Elizabeth Theatre
10/14 Toronto, ON - Massey Hall
10/15 Toronto, ON - Massey Hall
The Charlatans Tour Dates:
09/11 Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom
09/20 Toronto, ON - Danforth Music Hall
09/21 Montreal, QC - Fairmount Theatre
Concrete Vehicles Tour Dates:
03/20 Toronto, ON - Cecil House *
03/21 Guelph, ON - Sonic Hall *
03/22 London, ON - Palasad Social Bowl *
03/25 Ottawa, ON - The 27 Club
03/27 Hamilton, ON - JUNOFest at the Corktown Irish Pub
04/03 Vancouver, BC - The Pearl %
05/04 Toronto, ON - Bovine Sex Club
05/07 Toronto, ON - The Garrison
05/09 Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace
05/20 Lethbridge, AB - Owl Acoustic Lounge
05/21 Red Deer, AB - Vin L Den
05/22 Edmonton, AB - Temple
05/23 Calgary, AB - East Town Get Down Festival
07/13 Vancouver, BC - The Pearl #
08/14 Toronto, ON - RBC Amphitheatre ^
08/15 Toronto, ON - RBC Amphitheatre ^
08/21–22 Montreal, QC - Vans Warped Tour
* with Fucked Up
% with Ulrika Spacek
# with GOAT
^ with Alexisonfire
cootie catcher Tour Dates:
06/27 Victoria, BC - Friendship Hall
06/28 Vancouver, BC - Green Auto
Faouzia Tour Dates:
08/03 Vancouver, BC - Hollywood Theatre
08/19 Toronto, ON - Danforth Music Hall
08/21 Montreal, QC - Beanfield Theatre
Francis of Delirium Tour Dates:
11/16 Toronto, ON - The Drake
Karol G Tour Dates
07/29 Toronto, ON - Rogers Stadium
Geese Tour Dates:
11/03 Toronto, ON - History
Grouper Tour Dates:
09/08 Toronto, ON - The Concert Hall
09/10 Montreal, QC - Outremont Theatre
IAN SWEET Tour Dates:
10/17 Montreal, QC - La Sotterenea
10/18 Toronto, ON - The Baby G
Jane Remover with dazegxd Tour Dates:
06/09 Toronto, ON - Danforth Music Hall
06/10 Toronto, ON - Danforth Music Hall
Daniel Lanois Tour Dates:
10/09 Wolfville, NS - Devour! Studios
10/10 Halifax, NS - Rebecca Cohn Auditorium
Lowest of the Low Tour Dates:
05/01 Kingston, ON - Broom Factory
05/02 Ottawa, ON - Bronson Centre
05/09 Toronto, ON - Danforth Music Hall
05/15 Hamilton, ON - Bridgeworks
05/16 Guelph, ON - Sonic Hall
07/30 Huntsville, ON - Algonquin Theatre
08/07 Prince Edward County, ON - Hayloft Dancehall
11/13 Peterborough, ON - Market Hall
11/14 Oshawa, ON - Biltmore Theatre
11/21 Niagara Falls, ON - OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino
Loreena McKennitt Tour Dates:
10/13 Moncton, NB - Capitol Theatre
10/14 Fredericton, NB - Fredericton Playhouse
10/15 Charlottetown, PE - Confederation Centre of the Arts
10/16 Saint John, NB - Imperial Theatre
10/17 Halifax, NS - Rebecca Cohn Auditorium
10/20 Ottawa, ON - National Arts Centre Southam Hall
10/21 Quebec, QC - Capitole Theatre
10/25 Sherbrooke, QC - Centre culturel de l'Université de Sherbrooke
10/26 Montreal, QC - Place des Arts
10/29 London, ON - Centennial Hall
10/30 Kitchener, ON - Centre in the Square
10/31 Toronto, ON - Massey Hall
11/091 Toronto, ON - Massey Hall
Modest Mouse Tour Dates:
07/03 Vancouver, BC - Orpheum Theatre
07/05 Calgary, AB - Calgary Stampede
07/07 Saskatoon, SK - Saskatchewan Jazz Festival
10/04 Ottawa, ON - History Ottawa ^
10/05 Toronto, ON - Meridian Hall ^
^ with Caroline Rose
aja monet Tour Dates:
07/04 Montreal, QC - Montreal Jazz Festival
07/05 Toronto, ON - The Great Hall
My New Band Believe Tour Dates:
06/03 Montreal, QC - Sotterenea
06/05 Toronto, ON - Monarch Tavern (early show)
06/05 Toronto, ON - Monarch Tavern (late show)
09/02 Vancouver, BC - Fox Cabaret
Beth Orton Tour Dates:
09/22 Toronto, ON - The Concert Hall
Gwenifer Raymond Tour Dates:
07/05 Orillia, ON - Mariposa Folk Festival
07/10 Ottawa, ON - Bluesfest
07/17–19 Guelph, ON - Hillside Festival
07/24 Baie-Saint-Paul, QC - Le Festif!
Slift Tour Dates:
10/10 Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace
The Story So Far with the Starting Line and Ultra Q Tour Dates:
10/28 Toronto, ON - History
Streetlight Manifesto Tour Dates:
09/19 Toronto, ON - Danforth Music Hall
09/20 London, ON - London Music Hall
SYML Tour Dates:
10/09 Winnipeg, MB - Burton Cummings Theatre
11/05 Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom
Tinlicker Tour Dates:
09/18 Toronto, ON - History
09/19 Toronto, ON - History
09/24 Montreal, QC - MTELUS
10/16 Vancouver, BC - Vogue Theatre
Voivod with the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean Symphony Orchestra 2027 Tour Dates:
01/30 Chicoutimi, QC - Palais Municipal Theatre with the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean Symphony Orchestra.
Jessie Ware with Dhruv Tour Dates:
10/05 Toronto, ON - Massey Hall
10/06 Toronto, ON - History
Yard Act Tour Dates:
08/11 Vancouver, BC - The Pearl
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?
Ex-black midi bassist Cameron Picton has a new project. Aptly titled My New Band Believe, the four-piece will release their eponymous album on April 10 via Rough Trade.
UPDATE (4/23, 2:39 p.m. ET): A second, earlier show has been added in Toronto on June 5 at the Monarch Tavern. Doors will open at 7 p.m. for the first show, and tickets are currently on sale.
The original show's door time has been bumped back to 9:30 p.m., and My New Band Believe will play at 10 p.m.
Check out the updated schedule below.
UPDATE (3/17, 9:31 a.m. ET): Alongside sharing new single "Love Story," My New Band Believe have now announced the expansion of their North American tour itinerary — including an additional Canadian show at Vancouver's Fox Cabaret on September 2. Tickets go on sale this Friday (March 20) at 10 a.m. local.
Today, My New Band Believe have shared their debut song "Numerology," which won't appear on the new album. It has the same ethos as black midi's past work, but is softer in atmosphere. According to press notes, most of the upcoming record will be acoustic-based.
My New Band Believe will make their North American debut this spring with a quick run of shows. The jaunt includes a stop at Montreal's Sotterenea on June 3 and the Monarch Tavern in Toronto on June 5. Tickets for the tour go on sale Friday (February 20) at 10 a.m. local time. More information can be found on the band's website.
Listen to "Numerology" and check out the run of North American dates below.
My New Band Believe 2026 Tour Dates:
05/29 Philadelphia, PA - Phila MOCA
05/30 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
06/01 Kingston, NY - Tubby's
06/02 Amherst, MA - The Drake
06/03 Montreal, QC - Sotterenea
06/05 Toronto, ON - Monarch Tavern (early show)
06/05 Toronto, ON - Monarch Tavern (late show)
06/06 Detroit, MI - Lager House
06/07 Chicago, IL - Constellation
08/27 Los Angeles, CA - Lodge Room
08/28 San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw Stop
08/29 Sacramento, CA - The Starlet Room
08/31 Portland, OR - Polaris
09/01 Seattle, WA - Barboza
09/02 Vancouver, BC - Fox Cabaret
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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