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.
Jeremy Dutcher & Yo-Yo Ma
Also this week: Indigenous stars play a forest fires benefit in Toronto on Saturday and changes at Toronto venue Hugh's Room.
Jeremy Dutcher is going international.
The acclaimed Wolastoqiyik tenor, composer, ethnomusicologist, and activist is now well-established in Canada after becoming the first artist to win the Polaris Music Prize twice. His international career is about to get a serious push via a just-announced special series of performances in Japan and Taiwan alongside the legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
This is not the first collaboration between Dutcher and Ma. The two artists first worked together in 2018 on "Honor Song", featured on Yo-Yo Ma's album Notes for the Future and now widely regarded as a Mi'kmaq anthem. Throughout the upcoming tour, the two will share the stage for a unique program that intertwines classical repertoire with Indigenous song traditions.
The four joint concerts take place from Oct. 18-Oct. 27, preceded by Dutcher dates at Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium in Brandon, Manitoba, on Sept. 27 and Calgary's National Music Centre on Sept. 30 (part of Alberta Music Cities Convention 2026), then two U.S. dates. He will also play two shows in France in November. Check his full itinerary here.
Coinciding with the tour, Dutcher has also unveiled a newly recorded version of "Ultestakon." The live performance video is part of the Kyoto Sessions, an intimate series captured in Japan one year ago.
The nominees for the 32nd annual Ontario Folk Music Awards were announced earlier this week by Folk Canada. Notable names on the noms list include Great Lake Swimmers, Logan Staats, Julian Taylor, Frank Mighty, Mimi O'Bonsawin, John Muirhead, Payadora, Rebekah Hawker, Aysanabee, Ladom Ensemble, Amanda Rheaume, Eliana Cuevas, Justin Gray, Jory Nash, The Pairs, summersets and Tanika Charles.
The awards show will take place during the Folk Canada Conference at The Studio in Hamilton, Ontario on October 14. The event will feature performances by a select number of nominated artists and special guests, and is open to all Folk Canada Conference attendees. Still to be announced are the Estelle Klein Award recipients, the Laureate for the Colleen Peterson Songwriting Award and Culture in Climate Award. See the full nominees list here.
Now in its 39th year, the Folk Canada Conference (previously the Folk Music Ontario Conference and Ontario Council of Folk Festivals) will take place October 14-18 in Hamilton. Events include showcases by over 70 artists, including such prominent names as The Sadies, Boogat, AGNEYA, Battle of Santiago, Skye Wallace, AV & The InnerCity, Digging Roots, Ariel Posen and Dana Sipos. More info here
In response to the wildfires last month that severely impacted 25 Northern Ontario First Nations, over 20 Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists have banded together for a benefit show at Toronto's Concert Hall this Saturday (Aug. 29). Entitled the Mikinakoos Forest Fire Relief Show, it will feature such major Indigenous and Métis artists as Jeremy Dutcher, Aysanabee, Julian Taylor, DJ Shub, Sebastian Gaskin, Logan Staats, Digging Roots, Mimi O'Bonsawin, Adrian Sutherland, Amanda Rheaume and Derek Miller, alongside Dan Walsh, Skye Wallace, Housewife, the North Sound, Benjamin Dakota Rogers and more.
100% of the proceeds will be donated to the Mikinakoos Children's Fund to support First Nations youth from affected communities. Tickets are available to purchase now here. Donations to wildlife relief are also available to make here if you are unable to attend the show.
– Toronto folk/roots live music hub Hugh's Room has announced that, after a long tenure in that role, Nova Scotia-based artistic director Mary Stewart is stepping aside as Alice Sellwood takes on the position of director of programming, beginning in early September. Sellwood currently serves as manager, programming & special projects at The Royal Conservatory of Music and Koerner Hall in Toronto.
Adam Moffatt, chair of Hugh’s Room Live, paid tribute to Stewart, noting that ''So much of the remarkable music our audiences have experienced happened because of Mary — her musical judgment, her relationships with artists and her absolute commitment to Hugh’s Room. We owe her an enormous debt of gratitude.”
East Hamilton craft brewery Clifford is also a regular music venue hosting a diverse range of local favourites and occasional imports. Once a month, a Sunday matinee show is curated by local singer-songwriter and promoter Darryl Gould and the latest edition featured three acts delivering short but appealing sets. Solo singer/songwriter Leo Dragtoe kicked things off with a mix of his literate originals and a few covers, highlighted by Neil Young's ''Birds,'' and his fluently phrased vocals pleased.
He was followed by Brantford-based band The PGTBs, a family outfit comprising two parents (guitar and bass), their singer daughter and a drumming uncle. Their eclectic sound is a mixture of avant-folk, psychedelia and spirited rock 'n roll, with one extended psych number and a cover of Radiohead's ''Karma Police'' being standouts. The band inform us they'll soon record a debut EP with noted producer Dale Morningstar. A work in progress worth following.
Closing out the show was Hamilton singer/songwriter Emma Lee Jacqueline, accompanying herself on fuzzy electric guitar. Her voice and rockin' songs are strong, and her take on Nirvana classic ''Heart-Shaped Box'' stood out. The next edition of the series (on Sept. 29) will feature Toronto's Shredded Beef, (featuring Toronto guitar ace Nicol Robertson) The PGTBs again and one act still to be announced. Future bookings include Alun Piggins, Dave Schoonderbeek and Miracle Fraud.
– Harry Bartlett is a Canadian jazz and roots guitarist and composer currently living in Nashville, while Kurtis Perrie is a Toronto-based electronic music producer and instrument designer,. They recently joined forces to record a joint album, This is Living, in Toronto, and it was released last week on NYC-based label Adhyaropa Records. The duo's electro-acoustic sound is an interesting hybrid of styles. Here's the first single. More info here.
