By barnaby
Boy Golden, Bob Moses, July Talk, The Beaches, Metric, Dear Rouge, The Glorious Sons, Arkells, Billy Talent, The Darcys, Monowhales, Anyway Gang, Mother Mother, and Dear Rouge stand out in the year-end Alt category.
Coco Love Alcorn
Also this week: more trouble for the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Toronto scene veteran Paul James turns 75 with a free hometown show at The Phoenix and a date is set for the first Canadian Blues Music Awards.
Canadian pop and jazz singer-songwriter and choir leader Coco Love Alcorn has just revealed that she is fighting an aggressive form of cancer. This will involve a long period of chemotherapy, immunotherapy and further surgery. Alcorn explains that "I have had to cancel all my touring, teaching, and performances for 2026 and my local choir is on hiatus till further notice. I also had 3 trips planned to BC this winter/spring to record my new album and that project is also on hold."
A GoFundMe campaign to assist her has been set up. Donate here. The rapid and generous response to her campaign reaffirms the peer respect she enjoys.
Alcorn's first album came out in 1995, and her album Rebirth won the Canadian Folk Music Award for contemporary singer of the year at the 16th Canadian Folk Music Awards in 2021. She has toured as a backup singer for the Canadian rock band 54-40 and had music placed on the television programs The Dead Zone and The L Word.
The Canadian Blues Music Awards are the replacement for the annual Maple Blues Awards, honouring the best in Canadian blues. After criticism around representation of Black artists, the new awards is a "complete overhaul, a whole new program created to serve the Canadian blues community with greater transparency, fairness and unity."
The inaugural Canadian Blues Music Awards will take place on March 30 at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto. Tickets are on sale now here. The Toronto Blues Society advises that its members get 20% off the ticket price.
Western Canada's biggest music festival, music industry conference and awards show, Breakout West returns to Victoria, B.C. from Sept. 30 to Oct. 4, 2026. Applications are open now here with a submission deadline of Feb. 4.
– Presented by Music BC, SoMa Fest in Vancouver celebrates emerging and breakout talent. Alongside live performances, the weekend will debut SoMa Forum — a new space for creative exchange happening March 20-21, 2026. Expect conversations, workshops, and networking opportunities designed for both artists and industry professionals. More info here.
It has been a troubled year for the The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO). In the fall, VSO musicians launched the first strike in the orchestra's 107-year history, in a pay dispute. In early October, as reported by CBC, "an agreement came after months of bargaining and two days of 'intense' mediation at the B.C. Labour Relations Board." Music returned to the Orpheum theatre stage, beginning with Saint-Saëns' Third Violin Concerto on Friday, Oct. 10
Now, the VSO is back in the headlines for threatening former violinist Esther Hwang with legal action after speaking out about sexual abuse claims, including allegations that a senior member of the orchestra assaulted her at a post-performance party in 2017. Last week, the Vancouver Sun reported that "The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Esther Hwang, who recently went public with allegations that the organization retaliated against her after she filed a sexual-assault complaint."
The law firm representing the VSO wrote that the orchestra has "suffered, and will continue to suffer, significant harm, including disruption within the orchestra and broader musical community,” and warned that the orchestra could seek damages, including for reputational and consequential losses.' The Sun added that "since going public, a committee representing the orchestra’s full-time musicians issued a public statement backing Hwang, praising her for speaking out against what it described as the 'unethical and immoral' use of confidentiality agreements in cases of alleged sexual violence."
– News from the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) is more positive. From January 27 to February 9, 2026, the TSO will bring Canadian music to Western Europe as part of a 14-day tour spanning eight cities in six countries. The TSO’s ninth European tour will be music director Gustavo Gimeno’s first intercontinental tour with the orchestra. The trek includes an extended visit to Spain, the first time the TSO has ever travelled there. The visit there is fitting given that Gimeno was recently appointed a Commander of the Order of Civil Merit (Encomienda de la Orden del Mérito Civil), acknowledging his extraordinary artistic achievements and role in promoting Spanish culture on the global stage.
– The 2026 ECMA (East Coast Music Association) annual general meeting will take place on Feb. 17, 2026. The full agenda and participation details will be shared in early February.
Clothesline From Hell is a project headed by Toronto singer/songwriter Adam LaFramboise. His debut album, Slather On The Honey, comes out on Jan. 16, preceded by "Truest Sound," the fourth and final standalone single. A press release notes that inspirations for the record include Elliott Smith, Nirvana and Nine Inch Nails.
– Given that concertgoers' wallets can be stretched thin in January, news of free shows is always welcome. Veteran Toronto blues-rock artist Paul James (Bob Dylan, Mink DeVille) plays his annual birthday bash at The Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto on Jan. 17, and tix are free via this link. The concert celebrates James' milestone 75th birthday.
– Another free show coming up at The Phoenix features the Tragically Hip tribute band Practically Hip. Set for Jan. 24, We Salute You is presented by local rock radio station Q107. Tickets here.
– Popular Ottawa blues guitarist and singer-songwriter JW-Jones is heading to Georgia and Florida soon, with club dates set from Jan. 22 to Feb 8, followed by a Feb. 27 show in Kingston, Ontario. An indication that touring in the U.S. is now more problematic and expensive for Canadian artists is the fact that Jones has set up a funding campaign to cover the now exorbitant costs of obtaining an American work visa. Check out his upcoming shows here.
