Music News Digest: Broken Social Scene Documentary's Canadian Premiere, Festival Announcements & More

Festivals News

Ontario's popular Tall Pines Music & Arts Festival returns to Gull Lake Park in Gravenhurst, July 18-19. Its fourth edition will feature an impressive all-Canadian lineup headed by Sloan, The Pursuit Of Happiness, Moist, The Strumbellas, Matthew Good And His Band, Loviet and more. Passes available here.

– The Quebec alternative music festival Le Phoque OFF recently revealed its lineup of public shows, artist showcases and a rich program for artists and music industry professionals. Taking place from February 14 to 22, 2025, in Quebec City, this 11th edition will spotlight over 100 artists. The colourfully-named event has earned a reputation as a discovery festival, highlighting emerging talents from Canada and abroad. Notable artists heading the 2025 lineup include Yoo Doo Right, Aysanabee, Kaya Hoax, Angine de Poitrine, LAF, Taxi Girls, Ammoye and Hua Li. Check the full lineup here.

– The call for projects for the 26th edition of MUTEK is now open. The renowned Montreal festival, running August 20 to 24, 2025, is accepting submissions from Canadian and Canadian-based artists, with an emphasis on unique live musical performances, primarily electronic, digital audiovisual performances that explore the relationship between image and sound, and any other project that pushes the boundaries of digital creation or uses innovative technologies. Submissions here have a Jan. 31 deadline.

– Toronto's long-running Winterfolk XXIII Blues and Roots Festival will set up shop at the Tranzac Club, Feb. 14-16. The fest boasts that "this is definitely our best lineup ever," and it's a good list: DALA, Ken Whiteley, Tannis Slimmon & Lewis Melville, Lynn Miles, Michael Jerome Browne, Laura Fernandez, Amanda Rheaume, Q&A Tony Quarrington and Zoey Adams, Donné Roberts Music, Melanie Peterson, Tony Quarrington, Jesse Greene, Brian Gladstone, Tyler Ellis, David Newland, The Mid-Century Modernes, D'Arcy Wickham, Russell deCarle, David Storey Music, Cathy Anne, Noah Zacharin, Howard Gladstone Music, Camille Intson (Camie), Lynn Harrison, Robert Priest, Glen Hornblast, Shawna Caspi, Wild Bloom, Dr. B’s Acoustic Medicine Show, JESSA a.k.a. Jessica Stuart Music, and more to be announced. Ticket info here.

Industry News

– Let's Hear It is currently accepting applications from B.C.-based artists for two of its programs running during the lead up to the Vancouver 2025 Juno Awards. Let's Hear it BC emphasizes creating unique B.C. live music experiences across the province in Prince George, Kelowna, Surrey, Nanaimo, Victoria and Terrace. Dates will be announced in February and March of 2025.

Let's Hear it LIVE, centrally located at the Vancouver Art Gallery Plaza, will feature a Main Stage and a secondary stage showcasing Juno Award nominees and notable B.C. artists. This free festival site hosts concerts and events, March 27 - 29, 2025. Applications from all genders, ages, cultural backgrounds, ethnicities and other measures of diversity are highly encouraged, with artists being selected by a jury of local industry representatives. Apply by Jan. 10 here.

– The annual SCREENxSCREEN online music and tech conference returns in 2025, running Feb. 10-12. The event features 40+ speakers and 15+ panels, and this year's theme is "Music's Next Revolution: Redefining Business and Creativity Through Tech." Expect such topics as AI, robotics, and virtual worlds. Early Bird tickets on sale soon here.

– CBC will ring in the new year on English-language television and radio this year, as it reinstates a live countdown special cancelled in 2023 because of what it claimed at the time were “financial pressures.” Canada Live! Countdown 2025 on Dec. 31 will be hosted by The National’s Adrienne Arsenault and Ian Hanomansing, as well as singer Jann Arden and comedian Ali Hassan.

– One of Hamilton's premier music club venues The Casbah will close in six weeks, but it is going out with a bang, presenting some major names during the rest of December. C & C Surf Factory, the 'surf supergroup' headed by guitar aces Colin Cripps and Champagne James Robertson, are in on Dec. 19, followed by The Sadies with a sold-out matinee show on Dec. 21. Local shoegaze faves Basement Revolver play a holiday show on Dec. 23, with maverick rocker B.A. Johnston in on Boxing Day and Finny McConnell (The Mahones, Ultrabomb) playing the songs of Shane MacGowan on Dec. 30. More info and tickets here.

Artists News

Named after one of the group's songs, It's All Gonna Break is a film documentary profiling Broken Social Scene, undeniably one of the most important Canadian bands of the last 25 years. A press release notes that "it unearths intimate behind-the-scenes footage of Broken Social Scene's early days, offering a unique glimpse into the creation of Canada's indie-darlings. It shows the reality of a group of young creatives navigating friendships, relationships, business and art, then learning how to deal with success."

Directed and filmed by Stephen Chung, it will screen in BSS' hometown of Toronto at Hot Docs Cinema, Jan. 24 and 25. The movie premiered in October at the Woodstock Film Festival, followed by a screening in London, proof of the ongoing international interest in the ground-breaking collective. The Toronto screenings mark its Canadian premiere.