Music News Digest: Rascalz, Constantines, Propagandhi & More Nominated for 2025 Polaris Heritage Prize

Awards News

Voting for the 2025 Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize has opened and the nominees are in. This Prize is the equivalent of a Canadian albums hall of fame honouring important albums released prior to the launch of the Polaris Music Prize in 2006. Two of this year’s 12 nominated albums will receive the Heritage Prize designation. One album will be chosen by public vote campaign, and a second will be determined by a Heritage Prize jury made up of music media and music historians.

2025 Polaris Heritage Prize Nominees

1. Choclair – Ice Cold
2. The Constantines – The Constantines
3. Franck Dervieux – Dimension M
4. Do Make Say Think – Goodbye Enemy Airship, The Landlord Is Dead
5. Doughboys – Crush
6. Dubmatique – La force de comprendre
7. Mort Garson – Mother Earth's Plantasia
8. The Organ – Grab That Gun
9. Propagandhi – Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes
10. Rascalz – Cash Crop
11. Jane Siberry – The Speckless Sky
12. Strawberry – Brokeheart Audio

Heritage Prize balloting is now open. Voters are able to submit ballots once per day until voting closes on Thursday, August 21. Go HERE to vote.

The Niagara Falls Arts & Culture Wall of Fame recently announced its new inductees, and that list includes acclaimed musician, composer and visual artist Kurt Swinghammer. Long based in Toronto, the Niagara Fall native posted the news on Facebook: "Colour me humbled to join folks like director James Cameron, musician Joel “deadmau5” Zimmerman, CBC legend Barbara Frum, radio & TV host Bob McAdorey, comedian Frank Shuster, visual artists Evergon and Tony Urquhart, and Kevin and Michael McMahon, who tapped me to score their Genie Award winning feature doc The Falls in 1991."

Festivals News

The Kitchener Blues Festival is turning 25 and is celebrating the milestone with one of its strongest lineups for the 2025 edition, set to run Aug 7-10. The event kicks off with a fundraising concert featuring Burton Cummings and Shemekia Copeland, followed by three days of free concerts by acts like Cracker and C.J. Chenier and Canadian stars including Daniel Lanois, David Wilcox, The Sadies, Goddo, Bedouin Soundclash, Paul Reddick, Anthony Gomes, Brooks and Bowskill and many more. Info here.

– One Canada's longest-running free festivals, Hamilton's Festival of Friends ran at Gage Park over the long holiday weekend. Agreeable weather helped attract sizeable crowds, treated to a mix of American stars (Sister Sledge and The Sugarhill Gang featuring hip-hop pioneer Melle Mel) and Canadian favourites like The Trews and Brett Kissel. Reports are those latter two acts delivered high-energy and entertaining sets. I caught Juno-winning singer-songwriter Dan Mangan, whose generous 90-minute set certainly impressed the crowd. A highly likeable entertainer, Mangan mixed new material from current album Natural Light and older faves, assisted by an ace band featuring Don Kerr (Rheostatics, Ron Sexsmith), Mike O'Brien and Jason Haberman and a superb sound mix (the show was being recorded).

Industry news

Ambitious plans for a memorial to honour the late and legendary Rush drummer/lyricist Neil Peart are running into problems. He grew up in the Port Dalhousie community (part of St. Catharines), and a year ago that city launched a $1-million fundraiser for an art installation to honour Peart at Lakeside Park. It was recently revealed that just $120K has been raised, casting doubts on the project. The installation is intended to feature two bronze statues of Peart — one as a young artist and the other in his later years — both created by Morgan MacDonald of The Newfoundland Bronze Foundry. A pathway will connect the two statues with interpretive panels about Peart's personal and professional legacy. Donations for the project can still be forwarded here.

Artists News

Multi-platinum-selling, award winning pop artist Virginia to Vegas (Derik Baker) recently announced the an examination of it all tour. This is a 14-date cross-Canada fall trek that starts Oct. 24 in Oshawa, closing out on Nov. 20 at TD Music Hall. Tickets are now on sale here. A 2018 Juno nominee for Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Baker has earned three SOCAN Awards for his hit singles "We Are Stars," "Lights Out" and "Selfish."

– The Toronto-based collective Dwayne Gretzky lays claim to the title of Canada's most popular cover band. After 14 years and 1000+ gigs, the 10-member band keeps growing its audience, to the point that this week (on Aug. 7) they are headlining a show at Toronto's Budweiser Stage (tickets here), alongside Choir!Choir!Choir! Known for their musical versatility and dynamic shows, Dwayne Gretzky are now expanding to the screen, via the just-launched Dwayne's World, a monthly live cover video series on YouTube. Here's their brand new rendition of Paul Simon’s “You Can Call Me Al.”

– Consequence of Energy is a Chilean alt-rock band with strong Canadian connections. Their upcoming album We Are One is produced by Juno-winning and Grammy nominated hard rock hitmaker GGGarth Richardson (Rage Against the Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, 54-40) and they are co-managed by veteran Toronto artist manager Jeff Rogers (Crash Test Dummies). Check out their brand new single here.

– Toronto jazz guitarist Sam Dickinson recently released his sophomore album, Gemini Duets, on the TQM Recording Co. label. The record features improvisations, originals, and one Brazilian piece arranged for overdubbed guitars. He peforms with Ewen Farncombe at the Jazz Bistro in Toronto, Aug. 7, with Jon Challoner at Toronto's Hirut Cafe, Aug. 14, and then at Obladee in Halifax with guitarist Gabe Mink on August 20 and 27. More info here.