The Best of the West will soon be honoured in Victoria.
The Western Canadian Music Awards are rapidly approaching, being handed out on Oct. 3 as part of the 24th annual Breakout West conference and festival in Victoria, British Columbia.
The 2026 recipient of the Hall of Fame Award is the legendary and trailblazing Vancouver punk rock band, D.O.A., fronted and led by rocker turned politician Joe Keithley. He is expected to accept the award in person at a special evening ceremony on Oct. 3, which will also feature the announcement of the inaugural Meridian Prize winner. This prize awards one outstanding album by an artist from Western/Northern Canada and comes with a $5,000 honourarium. Check out the list of 10 contender here.
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In an afternoon event on Oct. 3, Victoria's own Dane Roberts, founder and artistic director of the Victoria Ska & Reggae Festival, will receive the Heritage Award, and this year's Kevin Walters Industry Builder Award recognizes 604 Records' general manager, Kesi Smyth.
Awards News
The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) announced on Sept. 21 that submissions for the 2027 Juno Awards are officially open, inviting eligible Canadian artists and music creators to put their work forward for consideration. The eligibility period for work to be considered is Sept. 1, 2025, to Nov. 6, 2026. The final deadline to submit is November 5, 11:59 pm PT. This year, the Junos have restructured several categories and eligibility criteria to more accurately represent current trends in music consumption across Canada. Check submission guidelines here.
– On Sept. 20, the YYC Music Awards, a celebration of Calgary's local music excellence, were held at the Grey Eagle Event Centre. For its 11th anniversary, the awards show saw a record 18 first-time winners, out of 29 categories, including Bijaan who won for music video of the year, FOXX Worthee, who won country recording of the year, and Ranchman’s rising star winner, Jaiden Riley who won solo artist of the year. The YYCMAs also celebrated their first-ever tie, with Cyril Tenjohn and the Honky Cats and Per Velum sharing the live performer of the year award, a category determined by public vote. Zenon shone with two wins, for R&B/soul recording and single of the year. Priscille Cherry hosted and performers included Gutter King, Bijaan, Chills, Jaiden Riley, Micah Sage, FOXX Worthee, Jarred Nicklen and Gremlyn. The full winners list is here.
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Industry News
Capital Music Week (CxMW) returns to Ottawa for its second year Oct. 2–10, with over 100 artists performing in 25 venues across Ottawa. Headlining are veteran rocker Bif Naked and platinum-selling pop singer-songwriter Tyler Shaw, with multi-platinum Ottawa artist Jamie Fine serving as 2026 Ambassador. Other noted artists in the lineup include the Juno-winning jazz vocalist Kellylee Evans, Logan Staats, Ya Levis and Amanda Rheaume.
Programming ranges from concerts and showcases to music documentaries, photography exhibitions across multiple cafés, workshops, panels, and an Ontario Music Cities Boat Cruise. The 7th annual Capital Music Awards (CxMW), presented by the National Arts Centre, will take place Oct. 9 at Southam Hall. Co-hosted by Tyler Shaw and Kellylee Evans, the awards will recognize a record 58 nominees across 13 categories and feature six diverse live performances. The full nominees list is here.
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CxMW also features two conferences, The Independent Music Business Summit and Canada After Dark, a national summit on nightlife and the nighttime economy. More info here.
– Part of the upcoming Vancouver International Film Festival, the VIFF Talks lineup is headlined by Stories Behind the Music: Mark Mothersbaugh. After finding fame in DEVO, Mothersbaugh has become a highly successful composer for film, with credits including Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, Thor: Ragnarok and A Minecraft Movie. His event is on Oct. 7 at the Rio Theatre. Tickets here.
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– Situated along the Toronto waterfront, the Toronto Music Garden is a picturesque setting for live music. In partnership with Polaris Music Prize, the venue is hosting 14 free Music Garden Concerts from Fri. Sept. 18 – Sun. Oct. 4. The eclectic lineup includes the bluesy roots-rock of Madison Galloway, R&B singer Savannah Ré, Indigenous singer-songwriters Amanda Rheaume and Mimi O'Bonsawin, the award-winning Witch Prophet’s distinctive blend of jazz and hip-hop, the ambient, acoustic pop of Mohsin Zaman and more. Details here.
Artists News
Known as the current drummer of Hamilton punk veterans Teenage Head and formerly The Killjoys, Gene Champagne is also an accomplished singer-songwriter fronting his own band in a garage rock meets punk vein. He has a new album, Too Pop For Punk..Too Punk To Care, set for release on Oct. 2, and he'll be launching it on Oct. 5, at The Corktown in Hamilton, in tandem with a star-studded show entitled Vive Le Punk. It features Champagne and Teenage Head bandmate Dave Rave in a 'supergroup' alongside Matt Dangerfield and Casino Steel from first-generation Anglo punk band The Boys. Tickets are available here.
– Canadian folk-roots singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Linda McRae made a splash in the beloved Spirit Of The West prior to launching her long and prolific solo career. Now based in Nashville, she is seeking fan help in completing a new album, All Vine No Tater via a Kickstarter campaign with a target of $11.2K. You can donate here.
– Born and raised in Newfoundland and now long based in Toronto, singer-songwriter and radio host Damhnait Doyle has an extensive discography that features nine full-length recordings as both a solo artist and a member of platinum-selling group Shaye and under-rated roots rockers The Heartbroken. In 2021, she became a full-time CBC Music Radio Host (now fronting "Mornings''), a role that helps account for her long break from recording.
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That is now over, with the Sept. 25 release of a new EP, Bird In Flames, her first release since 2019. It was produced by Juno-winner Hill Kourkoutis (who has also played all the instruments except drums) and features Doyle writing with Kourkoutis and pals Kim Stockwood (also ex-Shaye) and Serena Ryder. Here's the new single.
