On August 7, Winnipeg hard rock multi-instrumentalist Brent Fitz was honoured by his hometown in a street-naming ceremony. Bellavista Crescent in his old neighbourhood has been given the honorary name Brent Fitz Way to celebrate the prolific Winnipeg musician.
After a stint in popular prairie rockers Streetheart in the mid-'90s (he still plays with them), the drummer, bassist and keyboardist has toured and recorded with such major hard rock stars as Alice Cooper, Vince Neil, Slash, Theory Of A Deadman, Econoline Crush, Sass Jordan, Harlequin, Gilby Clarke, Triumph, and Bruce Kulick of Kiss and he is currently a member of Toque.
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Fitz attended the ceremony at which the city's mayor Scott Gillingham stated that ''This neighbourhood helped shape a young man who dreamed big, worked hard and went on to become one of the most respected drummers in rock music. Brent has achieved remarkable things without ever forgetting where his journey began."
In his speech, Fitz said ''the honour is very overwhelming. Having this location now officially geotagged, it's incredible, but it's geotagged, attached to people and friends and family. That is all of you. My whole life and career has been built on people — people business, music business — and somehow I found that to be my superpower built on this street. ''
Awards News
Calgary’s YYC Music Awards, recently announced the nominees in its 29 categories. Artists receiving multiple nominations include Foxx Worthee, Drew Gregory, Shy Friend, Ashley Ghostkeeper and Travis Pickering. See the full nominees list here. The winners will be named and honoured at the 2026 YYC Music Awards Gala on Sept. 20 at the Grey Eagle Event Centre, Calgary. Tickets are on sale now here.
– Submissions for the 2026 Musicworks Electronic Music Composition Contest are now open, with a Nov. 9 deadline. Musicworks is a Toronto-based publication, but this is an international competition that last year attracted 127 submissions from 17 countries. The annual juried contest spotlights new musical talent offering four cash prizes and opportunities to be heard and published. The first prize is $500, plus a composer profile in Musicworks in 2027 and the release of the composition on the accompanying Musicworks album. The Marcelle Deschênes Prize in Electronic Music is open to entrants who identify as female or non-binary and features a $300 prize. More info here.
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– At the Kitchener Blues Festival this past weekend, Ontario blues-rock guitarist and songwriter Bill Durst received the Mel Brown Award. Named after the city's late great blues artist, the award honors individuals who have made significant contributions to the blues music scene. Past recipients of the Mel Brown Award include Holger Peterson, Matt Minglewood, John Lee and Donnie Walsh. Durst was a founding member of popular '70s band Thundermug and he has also released several solo albums. He performed at Thursday's fest fundraising concert alongside Sass Jordan, and The Fabulous Thunderbirds.
Festivals News
The 2026 Bear Creek Folk Festival is set to run in Grande Prairie, Alberta on Aug. 14-16. This year's edition boasts an impressive lineup of international and Canadian artists, with that list including Tom Cochrane, The War and Treaty, The Trews (acoustic), Milk Carton Kids, Julian Taylor, Kellie Loder, Gwenifer Raymond, David Francey, The East Pointers, Alex Cuba, Tenille Townes, Slocan Ramblers, Fred Penner and more. Check the full fest schedule here.
– Real Love Winnipeg presents Real Love Summer Fest Reunion, a one-day event set for Aug. 15 at Blue Note Park in Winnipeg. Performers include Real Love All Star Band 2.0, NNAMDÏ, Cootie Catcher, Big Loser, Amos the Kid (solo), French Class, Synthetic Friend and Animal Teeth. Tickets are available here.
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Industry News
To celebrate its 20th anniversary of boosting Edmonton’s underground hip hop and R&B scene, Music for Mavericks is hosting an anniversary reunion show and pop-up museum in the city on Aug. 28. MfM is a music collective led by Arlo Maverick of Politic Live that served as a launchpad for artists like Kreesha Turner, K-Riz, Mouraine, and more. All those aforementioned artists will perform at the show at Old Strathcona Performing Arts Centre. In a Facebook post, Turner notes that this is a ''community that built something real before anyone was paying attention.These are my roots. These are the people who knew me before I was Kreesha.'' Tickets available here.
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– U.S.-based global music label Putumayo has long represented Canadian artists well on its popular collections of songs from around the world. That is the case with the upcoming release, Party Around the World, out on August 14. It features ''Ko'jua,'' a tune from Morgan Toney, an acclaimed Mi'kmaq fiddler and singer-songwriter from Nova Scotia, and ''Zatwal k ap file,'' a tune from Rebecca Jean, a Montreal-based Haitian-Canadian singer-songwriter whose music bridges Haitian Creole and Québécois traditions through multilingual songwriting. Their songs are featured alongside artists from Chile, Angola, Spain, Venezuela, Malawi, Jordan, Réunion, Brazil and more.
Artists News
Toronto-based jazz bassist, composer and arranger Josh Warren is readying the Aug. 22 release of a debut solo album, The Path. After launching it at The Rex in Toronto on that date, he plays shows in Montreal and Ottawa, then heads to his original home province, B.C., for eight concerts.
Warren has performed and recorded with such acclaimed and award-winning musicians as Ingrid Jensen, Jeremy Ledbetter, Rich Brown, Allison Au and Joaquin Nunez. He won a John McLaughlin Award for bass performance in 2025.
