Music Biz Headlines: Arkells Skip Toronto for Hamilton, SXSW Scales Back
Also this week: Sum 41 will be celebrated at The National Music Centre, Neil Young fights back against ticket price gouging, and more fallout in the East Coast Music Awards.
This week, a handful of big ongoing stories in Canadian music continued to unfold.
An East Coast folk duo was heavily questioned in the U.S., another sign of increased tensions between Canada and its southern neighbours. Turmoil around the East Coast Music awards continued. And SXSW made headlines for plans to scale back its 2026 edition.
Meanwhile in Canada, Arkells decide to skip Toronto for Hamilton, Radiohead dig up some archival footage at the Horseshoe, Sum 41 get a new museum exhibit, and much more.
Canadian Music Headlines of the Week
Arkells Are Skipping Toronto This Summer, But Playing Big and Small Hometown Shows in Hamilton
The popular rock band will headline the third edition of The Rally at Hamilton Stadium on June 21. But first, they will play their first hometown club show in over a decade. – Kerry Doole, Billboard Canada
Radiohead Share Full Toronto Concert from 1995
Thom Yorke played an acoustic set at the Horseshoe Tavern two weeks after 'The Bends' came out. – Alex Hudson, Exclaim
A Sum 41 Exhibit is Coming to Calgary's National Music Centre
The exhibit launches on March 26, ahead of the rock group's induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. – Rosie Long Decter, Billboard Canada
Juno-award Winning Producer From Toronto Remixes FIFA Theme Song Ahead of World Cup 2026
Local Juno-award winning producer, Hill Kourkoutis, produced a remix of the official FIFA World Cup 2026 theme song, with a Toronto twist. – Toronto Star
‘Canada or America?’ Touring Nova Scotia Folk Duo Questioned by State Troopers
Cassie and Maggie MacDonald drove quietly down the highway linking Pittsburgh to Columbus, Ohio, last week. Then the trouble began.– Halifax Chronicle-Herald
‘It Is Putting Us At Risk’: East Coast Music Awards Chair Says Boycott May Hurt Event
A heated conflict over the direction of the East Coast Music Awards could threaten to destroy the organization that runs it, warns one of its top leaders. – David Friend, CP
Regina Folk Festival Shuts Down After More Than 50 Years
As festivals across the country sound the alarm about financial threats, the Saskatchewan festival is winding down operations, stating that "economic challenges have become insurmountable." – Rosie Long Decter, Billboard Canada
Toronto Music-World Movie 'We Forgot to Break Up' is Its Own Kind of Broken Social Scene
In the proud and sweaty Canadian film tradition of Roadkill, Hardcore Logo and (sorta) Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, the new drama We Forgot to Break Up chronicles the up-and-down journey of a homegrown rock band whose members are constantly on the verge of tearing each other to pieces. – Barry Hertz, Globe and Mail
Vancouver’s Scrappy Music Scene Can’t Succeed Without Support
How we long for the days where there were more than a handful of venues to attend, print media flourished, and Vancouver’s “No Fun City” reputation had yet to come to fruition. – Angela Vannatter, Georgia Straight
Young cited Smith's comments that the ticket policy is a "scam" that is "driven by greed." – NME
Alberta Composer Cris Derksen Looks to Indigenous Culture for Composition, 'Controlled Burn'
A year after Cris Derksen made her Carnegie Hall debut with Controlled Burn, the northern Alberta composer joined the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra at the Jack Singer Concert Hall for a March 15 performance of her adventurous piece. – Eric Volmers, Calgary Herald
Orville Peck Is Losing the Mask for His Upcoming Role in Broadway’s ‘Cabaret’
"I'm not trying to make it The Orville Peck Show," the singer said in a recent interview. – Billboard
International Music Headlines of the Week
SXSW to Scale Back 2026 Edition
The conference and festival will be cut by two days while the new Austin Convention Center is under construction, with interactive, film/TV and music programs set to run concurrently. – Billboard
ZZ Top Co-founder Frank Beard Steps Down From Band For Health Reasons
ZZ Top drummer and co-founder Frank Beard has stepped aside from the band temporarily due to unspecified health issues. – Noise11
KISS Fans Rage at Gene Simmons for Selling $12K Roadie Experience
''Hello this is Gene Simmons from KISS and I need you to send me $12K for you to be my roadie’ is like Instagram scam DM material.' – Mark Daniell, Postmedia
Recently, in Australia, the Toronto rap superstar gave one couple $25,000 after they got engaged at his concert. – Emilie Hanskamp, Toronto Star
Semisonic Objects to White House Using Their Song Closing Time on Social Media Post
The band Semisonic is pushing back at the White House for using their hit song “Closing Time” over a social media post that shows a shackled deportee. – Mark Kennedy, Associated Press
‘He Nails it on the First Take’: How the Beatles Helped my Autistic Son Find His Voice
After John Harris’s son was diagnosed, conversation always seemed focused on the things he would struggle with. But a shared passion for playing music grew into something James could do – brilliantly. – The Guardian
After My Wife Died, I Joined a Community Choir. It Gave Me Respite From My Private Grief
When Toni fell ill I stopped playing music entirely. Yet every so often I felt the urge to return. – David Sornig, The Guardian
