By Kerry Doole
'We're certainly among friends': Thirteen rock acts join Canada's Walk of Fame
Thirteen Canadian rock bands of the 1970s and 1980s rolled back the clock on Thursday as they were inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame with a night chock full of good memories and even greater radio hits. – David Friend, CP
Drake releases new album For All the Dogs on Friday. Here’s everything you need to know
The Toronto rapper will release his long-awaited eighth studio album this week. Who are the guest stars? Who did the album artwork? All the details, right here. – Jermaine Wilson, Toronto Star
First came streaming music, then AI began stealing voices. Here’s why the head of UMC isn’t worried
Universal Music Canada CEO Jeffrey Remedios says the human side of artistry is what connects us — and that won’t change. – Alex Cyr, Toronto Star
Art Bergmann reconciles punk past and future with ShadowWalk, The Longest Suicide and Los Popularos reissues
ShadowWalk is Art Bergmann's requiem to his late wife, while reissues of Los Popularos and others put punk history in context. – Stuart Derdeyn, Vancouver Province
Grimes sues Elon Musk over parental rights
The musician and tech billionaire share three children. – Pitchfork
Music report calls for reinvention of live venues
A new study finds that the live music industry was plagued by more venue closings than openings, even before the Covid pandemic. It is now time to innovate or die, say the authors of a new study, Reimagining Music Venues. – Brad Wheeler, Globe and Mail
Jeremy Dutcher "turms everyting up a dial" for sophomore album
After making a triumphant debut in 2018 with his Juno- and Polaris Music Prize-winning album Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa, Jeremy Dutcher has expanded his artistic vision on his keenly-awaited second full-length, Motewolonuwok (released Oct. 6, 2023). – Kerry Doole, Words & Music
Daniel James McFadyen’s Songs to Show Your Friends lives up to its billing
The Hortonville-based folk artist celebrates his new EP’s release on Oct. 20 at the Marquee Ballroom. – Martin Bauman, The Coast
Face the Music: The time-spanning wisdom of Celtic musician Loreena McKennitt
Loreena McKennitt has sold more than 14 million albums since releasing her debut, “Elemental,” in 1985. Along the way, she’s earned critical acclaim across the globe as well as gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards in 15 countries, including Canada. – The Portland Press Herald - Maine
New listening: Wilco serves up a pristine dad rock album, OMBIIGIZI pay tribute to Buffy Sainte-Marie
Here's a curated playlist of new music, with fresh cuts from Wilco, Debby Friday, Empress Of, OMBIIGIZI, Tara Kannangara and more. Plus, check out our Toronto concert calendar. – Richie Assaly, Toronto Star
'I value vulnerability': JP Saxe contemplates lost love in second studio album
You may assume Toronto singer-songwriter JP Saxe is as intensely acquainted with his innermost emotions as anyone could be. He insists you would be wrong. – David Friend, CP
Oct classical music calendar brings a cat-nappy harpist, an Easter Island pianist and a beer-making harpsichordist
Star attractions include pianist Mahani Teave and the young American cellist Zlatomir Fung. – Brad Wheeler, Globe and Mail
Beethoven’s opera ‘Fidelio’ triumphs at the COC, drawing parallels to Trump’s America
Director Matthew Ozawa’s modern-dress production showcases Beethoven’s sumptuous score in all its glory. – Joshua Chong, Toronto Star
Roy Orbison jukebox musical In Dreams will leave you feeling good about feeling bad
Although the 1960s rock icon is best known for the upbeat Oh, Pretty Woman, Orbison’s real stock-in-trade was sadness. Sure enough, this new show from writer David West Read and director Luke Sheppard is packed with sad stuff. But it’s also funny, exuberant and life-affirming. – Martin Morrow, Globe and Mail
International
Songtradr acquires Bandcamp from Fortnite maker Epic Games
Songtradr says it will continue to operate Bandcamp as a marketplace and music community with an "artist-first revenue share". According to a press release issued by Songtradr on September 28, Bandcamp is used by over 5 million artists and labels. – MBW
Recorded music industry revenues hit $8.4BN in the US in H1 - but paid streaming account growth slowed
Olivia Rodrigo, SZA, Usher, Jelly Roll and more will hit the 2023 iHeartRadio Jingle Ball stage
iHeartRadio has unveiled its star-studded 2023 Jingle Ball lineup, including performances by Olivia Rodrigo, Usher, Nicki Minaj, SZA, Niall Horan, and Jelly Roll. – Maria Sherman, AP
Wilco: Cousin review – a band rediscovering their experimental side
Jeff Tweedy and co’s 13th album bears a close family resemblance to Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, but with Cate Le Bon in the producer’s chair, it has an appealing wash of left-field weirdness and its lyrics express an older man’s anxieties. – Alexis Petridis, The Guardian
Country star Dustin Lynch was at an impasse. The only way forward was to have ‘Killed the Cowboy’
Ahead of his sixth studio album, “Killed the Cowboy,” Dustin Lynch sensed some inner conflict. – Maria Sherman, AP
Watch PJ Harvey play her first show for six years in Dublin
The artist performed her new album 'I Inside The Old Year Dying' in full. – Emma Wilkes, NME
Man tied to suspected shooter in Tupac Shakur’s killing arrested in Las Vegas
One of the last living witnesses to the fatal drive-by shooting of rapper Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas was charged with murder Friday in the 1996 killing, a long-awaited breakthrough in a case that has frustrated investigators and fascinated the public. – AP
Ed Sheeran: Autumn Variations review – as flat and dull as a grey sky
Plodding, genre-hopping songs all end up as unimaginative ballads, their dreary lyrics littered with gibberish – though Sheeran’s hooks remain strong on his second album this year. – Rachel Aroesti, The Guardian
Ed Sheeran releases trailer for Fan Living Room Sessions
Following the release of his new album Autumn Variations, Ed Sheeran has dropped the trailer for his ‘Fan Living Room Sessions’ – 14 exclusive, intimate performances of each track from the album that Ed performed, and filmed, in fans’ houses. All 14 videos have now gone live. – Noise11
Reggae legend Max Romeo files US$15M lawsuit against Universal Music over unpaid royalties
Reggae legend Max Romeo has filed a US$15 million lawsuit against UMG Recordings and Polygram Publishing, Inc., claiming unpaid royalties on 19 songs, including War Ina Babylon, One Step Forward, and his biggest hit Chase The Devil, which was sampled by Kanye West and Jay-Z and featured in the Grand Theft Auto gaming franchise. – Dancehall Mag
Allow Jorja Smith to reintroduce herself on her sophomore release, 'Falling or Flying'
New acts are rarely given permission to take a beat, or risk slipping into obscurity. The horrible irony is that deadlines have never been muses for great art. The alternative is, of course, to say screw it all and work on your own timeline, likely as an independent artist.– Maria Sherman, AP
Beyonce to take Renaissance to cinemas around the world
Beyoncé has confirmed the upcoming release of her Renaissance World Tour concert movie. – Noise11
