Music News Digest: New Documentary On Toronto Music Legend Handsome Ned Premieres, Austra Releases Short Film

A legend of Toronto music is getting his due.

On Jan. 10, coinciding with the anniversary of his passing, the documentary film You Left Me Blue: The Handsome Ned Story was simultaneously screened in Toronto (a sold-out event at The Paradise Theatre) and the Gaba Gool Club in Hamilton. The well-constructed film is a portrait of the highly influential country/rockabilly troubadour Handsome Ned (Robin Masyk), a true legend of Toronto's famed Queen Street West music scene of the '80s. Prior to his death in 1987 at age 29 (a heroin overdose), Ned was a fixture on that strip's clubs (especially The Cameron House), either solo or with bands (The Sidewinders, The Handsome Neds and more) featuring stellar local players.

He never found commercial success, but Ned's impact was immense, as the film explains via interviews with such other local luminaries as Greg Keelor (Blue Rodeo), Steven Leckie (The Viletones) and Johnny MacLeod. Seeing the Hamilton screening brought back fond memories of a vibrant time and place for this scribe, while reinforcing the talent of Masyk as a fine songwriter whose work still resonates four decades later. You Left Me Blue premiered in 2010, then sat on the shelf, so its resurrection now is very welcome. It screens at BBAM! Gallery in Montreal on Feb. 26. Tickets here.

Industry News

The Canadian Live Music Association (CLMA) has announced the grant recipients of the RBC-supported Setting the Stage program. Now in its second year, Setting the Stage provides grants to independent CLMA-member venues, festivals and promoters to deliver career mentorship for local emerging artists and support for audience development for their live show.

The recipients and their selected emerging artists and concert dates, are:

Biltmore Theatre (Oshawa, ON) – Maitreya – March 28

Bond ST Event Centre (Oshawa, ON) – Stoke the Fire – March 27

Bronson Centre Music Theatre (Ottawa, ON) – Main Street Revival – February 7

Canada's Music Incubator (Toronto, ON) – Flo Olavarria– January 29

The Cap (Fredericton, N.B.) – Warped Dogwood – February 12

Folk On The Rocks (Yellowknife, NWT) – Brenden MacIntosh – February 20

Horseshoe Tavern (Toronto, ON) – Nicholas Campbell – March 2

Hugh’s Room Live (Toronto, ON) – Aphrose – February 21

NXNE Music Festival (Toronto, ON) – DAPHNE – March 24

Road to Revelree (Sarnia, ON) – Little White Lies – March 20

Rickshaw Theatre (Vancouver BC) – Tribunal – March 21

The Redwood Theatre (Toronto, ON) – SexBandit – February 6

The Silver Dollar Room (Toronto, ON) – Jaks in the Box – January 17

THINQ Music (Westport, ON) – Jake DeMarsh – February 25

West End Cultural Centre (Winnipeg, MB) – The Fu Fu Chi Chi Choir – March 21

Whitecap Entertainment (Charlottetown, PEI) – Braden Lam – March 8

– Presented by the City of Hamilton and created in partnership with Canadian Music Incubator (CMI), Groundwork is a free professional development program for emerging Hamilton-based live music promoters. Groundwork begins with a full-day, in-person mentorship session on Feb. 21, 2026, followed by two virtual workshops, virtual one-on-one mentorship, and a series of live shows presented throughout 2026 by the cohort. Upon successful completion of the program (event execution), Groundwork promoters will receive a grant of $5,000 from the City of Hamilton. The deadline to apply here is Jan. 19.

– Jumpstart Foundations is Music BC’s free, on-demand library of accessible “101" level educational modules that aim to provide essential learning for new and emerging artists and creative industry professionals. Music BC has announced that the on-demand music industry professional development program has moved to YouTube. Check it out here

– On Jan. 29 at 1 pm EST there is a virtual meetup for members of MMF (Music Managers Forum) Canada and European Music Managers Alliance (EMMA). MMF Canada members can register via their membership portal⁠. More info here.

Artists News

Veteran Hamilton singer-songwriter Martin Verrall launches his new album, C/O The Brain, on Jan. 18 in a show that also serves as the launch of a keenly-anticipated new Hamilton music and comedy venue, Ridiculous. The Verrall concert is the first ticketed event in The Parlour, one of two new clubs in the space that is being booked by Brodie Schwendiman, of The Casbah, the beloved local venue that closed last year. In another first, C/O The Brain is the debut release of a new independent record label, SoundStage! Recordings.

Verrall has been termed a 'dark poet,' and his intense and eloquent songs are usually accompanied by elite local players. The new record is produced and engineered by the internationally-renowned Mark Howard ( U2, Lucinda Williams, The Tragically Hip), a major believer in Verrall's talent. Vinyl copies of the new release (180-gram pressing in gatefold packaging ) will be available at the gig. Opening for Verrall are two other noted local rock auteurs, Edgar Breau (Simply Saucer) and Darryl Gould (here as half of a rootsy duo with Tammy Levely). Info here.

– Internationally-acclaimed singer/composer Katie Stelmanis (who records as Austra) recently released her first album in five years, Chin Up Buttercup. It is now being promoted via a just-released short film, Chin Up Buttercup: The Movie. Written by and starring Stelmanis, and directed by Hedia Maron, the film expands on the emotional world of the album through new visuals, behind-the-scenes footage and voiceovers. "I had planned to make a video of some sort using bts footage, and with the help of director/editor Hedia Maron, the idea spiraled into a wild no-budget movie making adventure," says Stelmanis.

The release of Chin Up Buttercup: The Movie coincides with Austra’s 2026 tour of North America, Europe and the U.K., kicking off with three sold-out shows in Ottawa, Montreal and Brooklyn. Tickets are available at austra.fyi. Full dates can be found here.

– East Coast pop-rock singer-songwriter Jon Mullane is nominated in three categories (including best male solo artist) at the California Music Video Awards for his new single, "Remember in November." Directed by Halifax filmmaker Martin Noel, the clip was shot in various scenic and famed locations throughout Nova Scotia. Selected award winners will be pre-announced in late January, leading up to the awards reception in San Francisco on February 16.