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FYI

In The Wee Hours Of CMW With Cam Carpenter

The night started early at The Dakota Tavern and a performance by Benjamin Dakota Rogers and ended at the Horseshoe where Wolves At Midnight were playing at the stroke of... midnight.

In The Wee Hours Of CMW With Cam Carpenter

By Cam Carpenter

The night started early at The Dakota Tavern.

After a nice chat with local musician Del Cowsill at the bar, we saw Benjamin Dakota Rogers take the stage accompanied by a bowed upright bass. It was an intense and intimate set that had the audience totally engaged in the performance. 

He was followed by Slim Paul from France who started a cappella and then strapped on his electric and kicked into his swampy southern rock accompanied by drums and bass. Manager Emilie Delchambre was on hand and quick with the media kits.

Across the street, at The Painted Lady, I caught up with Tony Tarleton from Acronym Records. We were both there to see Compassion Machine, a the two-piece rock band from Victoria that is currently working with former Headstones drummer Dale Harrison.

Next up was The Rivoli for youngsters Moscow Apartment who are now working with Jeff Rogers as well as new agent Stefanie Purificati from APA. The set was over-the-top charming, which Yvonne Matsell said was like "being on the set of the movie Juno". Seen in the audience were Ralph James, Slammin Media's Bruce Bradley, the legendary Richard Flohil and The Launch's Fraser Hill.

The last stop of the evening was The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern where Montreal's Wolves At Midnight were tearing it up at, yes, midnight. 


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No festival day is complete without street sightings, and earlier in the day I ran into Edmonton's Letters From Pluto who are performing Thursday at The Supermarket and caught up with Kyle Sullivan from Jerry Leger & The Situation who was showing German band Blackberries.

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Charlotte Day Wilson
Jessica Foley
Charlotte Day Wilson
Concerts

CNE 2026 Bell SOUNDSTAGE Lineup: Charlotte Day Wilson, JoJo, Finger Eleven and More

As part of its partnership with NXNE and a renewed focus on live music, CNE will also welcome a special soon-to-be revealed global headliner presented by Billboard Canada on Aug. 28.

The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) is embracing its musical roots with a high-profile lineup for 2026.

The beloved long-running fair, baptized The Ex by Torontonians, has unveiled the full list of artists who will be headlining the newly-named Bell SOUNDSTAGE at the Bandshell to celebrate the event's 147th edition. Canadian stars like Charlotte Day Wilson and Finger Eleven as well as international pop star JoJo have been added to this year's programming, which reflects a diverse mix of renowned names and rising stars across a multitude of genres including pop, hip-hop, Punjabi music and soca, among others. They join previously announced acts like Lights, Lupe Fiasco, Shaggy and more.

This year, the exhibition is partnering with Toronto music festival NXNE, to modernize its musical programming with chart-topping artists and newer acts, and revamping the Bandshell as the Bell SOUNDSTAGE. “Music is such a massive part of who we are,” Mark Holland, CEO of the CNE, told Billboard Canada in April during his Executive of the Week interview. "Connecting everybody to that is a democratic mission that we are really invested in."

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