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David Leyes
Don Pyle Rough Description
FYI
Music News Digest: Don Pyle's New Memoir, Changes To Canadian Folk Music Awards
Also this week: The Dream Serenade returns, Dwayne Gretzky and the James Barker Band play the Canadian Open and more.
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Veteran Toronto musician, author and photographer Don Pyle (Shadowy Men From A Shadowy Planet, PhonoComb) has just published a new memoir, Rough Description: Love Letters and Ghost Stories From a Life in Music. The book covers his hilarious tour stories, his experiences growing up in punk, his experiences attending hair school, working with the Kids in the Hall and more from his influential life in music and culture.
He launches the book via a reading tour that starts at Standard Time in Toronto on May 28 (with Yo La Tengo's Georgia Hubley & Ira Kaplan spinning records) with stops in Guelph, Hamilton, Picton, Kitchener and London. The latter event also features Faith No More's Roddy Bottum reading from his memoir The Royal We. More info here.
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Awards News
The Canadian Folk Music Awards has opened submissions for the 2027 awards, to be presented April 8–11, 2027, in Sydney, Cape Breton. Three changes are a renamed and expanded songwriter of the year category open to submissions in any language, a renamed francophone songwriter of the year category and a new video of the year category. Submission fees have also been reduced The early-bird deadline is June 15, 2026; the final submission deadline is July 15, 2026. Apply here.
Industry News
Music Nova Scotia has named the first round of showcasing acts that will be performing at Nova Scotia Music Week in Truro from November 12-15, 2026. Notable names include recent East Coast Music Award winner Elyse Aeryn, His His, Blue Lobelia, Jody Upshaw, Mat Elliott, The Boojums and The Orchids . More info here.
– Golf Canada has announced that Dwayne Gretzky and the James Barker Band will headline the Canadian Open After Party, during the 2026 RBC Canadian Open at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley in Caledon, Ontario. Dwayne Gretzky headline on Friday, June 12 followed by two-time Juno Award winner James Barker Band (with Alexa Goldie opening) on Saturday, June 13 as part of Canada’s Men’s National Open Championship. Tickets here.
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– Save the date: Massey Hall will present the 12th Annual Dream Serenade on Oct. 24. This is an annual benefit concert and celebration of Toronto’s community of children with developmental and/or physical disabilities and their caregivers. Created by Toronto musician Hayden Desser and his wife Christie Greyerbiehl in 2014, the event was a way to show appreciation and raise funds for a new playground at their daughter’s school, Beverley School.
Dream Serenade was recently nominated for 2026 philanthropic live event of the year by the Canadian Live Music Association and it annually attracts major Canadian and international artists. Past performers have included Gord Downie, Billy Talent, Feist, City and Colour, Barenaked Ladies, Howard Jones, Broken Social Scene, Jim Cuddy, Gowan, Matt Berninger, Serena Ryder, Bahamas, Sam Roberts, The Sheepdogs, William Prince, Sarah Harmer, Aysanabee and many more. This year's lineup is TBA but tickets go on sale on May 29 through the Massey Hall box office or online. More info here.
– On June 6, Toronto's Luminato festival presents The Power of the Land, a multi-disciplinary and multi-Indigenous free event that features live performance, teachings and an award-winning feature film, Walking Through The Fire, all taking place at Harbourfront Stage. Appearing will be award-winning First Nations, Métis and Inuit artists from across Turtle Island joined by Sultans of String’s Walking Through The Fire project. Performers include Shannon Thunderbird and Kate Dickson, Dr. Duke Redbird, Marc Meriläinen (Nadjiwan), Don Ross, Alyssa Katrine, Lisa Odjig, SHUB, Día de los Muertos Collective and more, with Sultans of String closing out the evening. See the full schedule here.
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– Music Nova Scotia has opened applications for the contract position of technical director, available at Nova Scotia Music Week, taking place in Truro from Nov. 12-15, 2026. MNS is also accepting applications for four positions via the Job Creation Partnerships (JCP) Program, offered through the Government of Nova Scotia. Job postings are open until Thursday, June 11. Full application criteria and job descriptions are available at nsmw.ca/join-the-team.
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– MMF (Music Managers Forum) Canada has reported back on its recent UK Export Mission. The trade org brought 20 music managers and self-managed artists along to make new connections and build their businesses abroad. The delegates participated in B2B sessions in London at Canada House on May 1,. M for Montreal presented a Quebec showcase and reception and CIMA and Enki Music Services co-hosted a Canadian showcase & networking event at Strongroom Studios. Mission activities at The Great Escape included Canada House Showcases including artists managed by MMF Canada members: Micah Sage (managed by Jess L'Heureux) and Kimmortal (managed by Misfit Music Management) plus the co-hosting of an International Managers brunch with MMF UK and AAM (Australia) bringing together managers and industry from across the world.
Festivals News
Created in 2011, The West 4th Avenue Khatsahlano Street Party is described as Vancouver’s largest free music and arts festival. It takes place it Kitsilano on July 11 this year and the musically eclectic lineup has just been announced. It features retro glam rocker Art d’Ecco, surf rock outfit Uncle Strut, soulful singer Desiree Dawson, rockers Rich Hope and Concrete Vehicles, multi-hyphenate Kimmortal and more. The fest is curated by Zulu Records. More info here.
– The lineup for this summer's 2026 Sandpines Campfire Concert Series in in Port Rowan, Norfolk County, has been announced. It kicks off with Honeymoon Suite on Saturday July 4, followed by Tim Hicks on Saturday August 1 and Kim Mitchell on Saturday September 5, on the last long weekend of the summer during BayFest. Tickets here.
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– Held in Uxbridge, Ontario, from June 11-13, the Springtide Music Festival features an eclectic list of Canadian talent on multiple stages. Notable artists in the lineup include Yukon Blonde, Kasador, Stephen Stanley, Mia Kelly, Shakura S'Aida, Dan Mangan, Young Novelists, Robyn Ottolini, Torrance and, in the author's tent, Natalie MacMaster. More info and tickets here.
Artists News
– GeminiCrab is an adventurous Montreal duo comprising 3x Grammy-nominated vocalist, songwriter and producer Malika Tirolien (Jacob Collier, Snarky Puppy) and Félix Award-winning keyboardist and producer Caulder Nash (Jonathan Roy, Fredy V & the Foundation). They describe their sound as HighSoul, and they've booked jazz fest shows across Canada this summer, starting at Ottawa Jazz Festival on June 19 and concluding at London's Sunfest, July 11 and 12. More info here.
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