By Kerry Doole
What’s Ontario’s signature song? The case for ‘Helpless,’ by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
When in your mind, you still need a place to go, let a Canadian legend sing you back to a town in north Ontario. – Kat Eschner, TVO
‘Playing gave me confidence’ How this musician pioneered the electric violin sound in Toronto dance music
Violin virtuoso Dr. Draw on his early career busking, causing a riot and his pop culture obsessions. – Janiece Campbell, Toronto Star
The Trews now feel at home in Hamilton
Nova Scotia natives, the three original band members of the top rock band have all set up their personal and professional lives in our city, and they're loving it. – Kerry Doole, Hamilton City Magazine
Remembering SARSfest, the concert that revived Toronto, 20 years later
20 years ago, Toronto was reeling from the deadly SARS epidemic that severely affected the local economy. On July 30, 2003, an estimated 450,000 to 500,000 people descended on Downsview Park for what was officially called the Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto concert, but more commonly known as SARSstock or SARSfest. With that attendance, it was the largest concert in Canadian history. – CP
Colleen Rennison honours an inspirationally enduring Vancouver ‘hood with “I Do”
The beauty of Colleen Rennison’s video for “I Do” is the way that it operates as an understated love-letter to a city that is often more than happy to forget its past. The backdrop here is East Van, with its quaint heritage homes, ramshackle alleyways, century-old grocery stores, and still wondrously intact Chinatown. – Mike Usinger, Georgia Straight
Six-year-old girl and a member of local rock band die in N.S. floods
A musician in a local heavy metal band and a six-year-old girl who loved dressing up like a princess have been identified as onr of the victims who died during a torrential rainstorm last weekend in rural Nova Scotia. Nicholas Anthony Holland, 52, of Windsor, N.S., was the bassist in Hogtooth and father of two children. – National Observer
Carly Rae Jepsen on ‘experimental’ album ‘The Loveliest Time’: It’s a ‘place to get wild and freaky’
Fans of indie-pop darling Carly Rae Jepsen know that when the singer-songwriter releases a studio album, a second related project — known as Jepsen’s B-sides — will likely follow. So when Jepsen released her sixth studio album “The Loneliest Time,” last year, her audience clamored for a follow up. Sure enough, she officially announced “The Loveliest Time” in early July. – Rachel Seo, Variety
Sargeant X Comrade look to a lo-fi future with third album
Sargeant X Comrade, featuring Evgeniy Bykovets and Yolanda Sargeant, will release their third album on Aug. 4. When Sargeant X Comrade were hosting cabarets at Arts Commons in 2022, the soul and hip-hop duo borrowed a tune from their upcoming third album to be the theme song for a high-concept “talk show.” – Eric Volmers, Calgary Herald
From bras to vapes, why are so many people hurling things at Drake?
A very real opportunity to go viral, a lapse in concert etiquette. Performers are taking the brunt of this summer of concert projectiles. – Sarah Laing, The Kit
Hamilton music scene: Women on fire
The city's music community is deep and diverse and full of incredibly talented women. Here, we shine a light on just a few of them. Melissa Marchese, Rita Chiarelli, Jude Johnson and Nabi Sue Berche share the joys and tribulations of making music while female. – Vanessa Green, Hamilton City Magazine
Celebrated songwriters hit the stage at 97 South Song Sessions
Rik Emmett sang and played like he was still in his prime.– Penticton Now
Coastal Jazz asking Vancouver to help get it over a financial hump
After pulling through a 2023 season that’s been challenging for many of the city’s arts groups, Vancouver’s Coastal Jazz is asking the public to help move the organization forward. Responsible for programming the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, Coastal Jazz is looking for donations as its financial year winds down. – Mike Usinger, Georgia Straight
Dropping the needle on a decade
Winnipeg vinyl aficionado has truly found his groove as record-and-tape shop celebrates milestone. – David Sanderson, Winnipeg Free Press
The best music to listen to right now
Here's a curated playlist of new music, with fresh cuts from Mitski, Animal Collective, Burna Boy, NewJeans and more. – Richie Assaly Toronto Star
'Keeping the fiddle alive:' Batoche hosts tribute to John Arcand
The songs played on Sunday were only a small sample of Arcand's compositions, each one connected to specific moments and people in his life. – Julia Peterson, Winnipeg Free Press
International
Ticketmaster could face new legal threat this fall, sources say
Rivals, lawmakers and music fans are calling for the DOJ to break up the company. – Politico
Live Nation's booming earnings aren't just a post-Covid rebound
Concert promoter, venue owner, and Ticketmaster parent Live Nation has had a wild few days on the stock market. The company’s share price jumped in after-hours trading last Thursday (July 27) after it released an impressive Q2 earnings report, showing revenue up 27% YoY to USD $5.6 billion, and earnings per share jumping a solid 55%, to $1.02 per share. – Daniel Tencer, MBW
Universal Music generated $2.93bn in Q2 - boosted by sales from superstars like Taylor Swift
Universal Music Group's financial results for the three months to the end of June and the first half of the year were published after the close of the Euronext in Amsterdam on July 26. – MBW
The unapologetic brilliance of Sinéad O’Connor
I think what O’Connor sought in her music was anguish, laid bare, and then a gorgeous moment of communion. – Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker
Morrissey attacks music industry following Sinéad O’Connor’s death
"There is a certain music industry hatred for singers who don’t ‘fit in’ (this I know only too well), and they are never praised until death - when, finally, they can’t answer back." – Emma Wilkes, NME
‘She looked like a punk angel’: readers share their tributes and memories of Sinéad O’Connor
Whether as a one-take wonder in the studio, an unforgettable voice in concert or a smiling stranger in the street, readers share stories of how the Irish star touched their lives. – The Guardian
Snoop Dogg cancels Hollywood Bowl shows in solidarity with striking actors, writers
Snoop Dogg’s October shows at the Hollywood Bowl, marking the 30th anniversary of his breakthrough album “Doggystyle,” have been canceled. Snoop was set to perform June 26 and 27 in shows described by the Hollywood Bowl as Snoop bringing together “some of his best friends.' – LA Times
These scientists explain the power of music to spark awe
When people listen to the same song, their brain waves can synchronize. It's one way that music creates a sense of connection and wonder. – NPR
$11,000 to see Taylor Swift? How concert tickets got so expensive
Why are concert tickets so expensive and how can I get a cheaper ticket? –Emma Fox, LA Times
Getting extra with your music
Megan McArdle’s analogy in her July 23 op-ed, “The real threat to Hollywood workers? You and me.,” of the fate facing actors and writers to the Spotify-cation of musicians (and, for that matter, composers and lyricists) by music streaming services was spot on. – The Washington Post
‘Wham! was going to be forever young’ — Andrew Ridgeley on why Wham!’s days were numbered
The duo’s guitarist on his friend George Michael and why Wham! was never meant to last. – Nick Krewen, Toronto Star
Mick Jagger hits his ninth decade in high blended-family style in London
Aptly, Mick Jagger held a blow-out at a Chelsea nightclub on July 26 to mark the broad swath he has cut into his ninth decade among us. Mingling with a certain cuvee of well-heeled Londoners alongside a sprinkling of how-did-they-get-here fellow rockers, were many of Sir Mick's spiffy and endlessly rambunctious eight offspring. – Guy Martin, Forbes
Tom Jones: Neighbour surprised to find singer in flat below
Imagine finding Sir Tom Jones in your neighbour's kitchen. The Stereophonics' Kelly Jones told the Zoe Ball Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2 that the singing legend once came back to his flat after a Jools Holland show. His upstairs neighbour came down to complain about the noise, asking Jones to turn off his Tom Jones records. – BBC
Bruce Springsteen and John Mellencamp can teach Jason Aldean a thing or two about small towns
It is not only easy to find better politics in small towns, but also better music than Billboard's No. 2 song. – David Masciotra, Salon
Cardi B tosses microphone at concertgoer who hit her with a drink onstage
The rapper retaliated after someone in the audience threw liquid in her direction during a Las Vegas performance on Saturday. – Ben Blanchet, People
Cardi B reportedly listed as a suspect for battery after hurling microphone at fan
A viral video showed the rapper throwing her microphone at a fan after she was splashed with a drink during a show in Las Vegas. – Richie Assaly Toronto Star
