It's beginning to look a lot like Summer, so next week Darcys hit the pavement with tour dates across North America, and today they roam through the American West in an El Camino in the new video for "Arizona Hwy" courtesy of NPR. "We've always been taken with the kitschiness and heroism of the great American road trip," says Wes Marskell. "It's hard not to be seduced by the freedom and redemption of driving the American West. So, instead of staging a music video we filmed a joyride through the stunning natural backdrops, campy motels, and cheap roadside attractions that make the highways of Southern California so iconic. It's hard to tell where reality begins and ends in this buddy comedy, but it's clear that the aging blue Chevy El Camino slowly emerges as the films' true star.

"Arizona Hwy" single will also feature Jason Couse and Marsksell performing a cover of Prince's "Kiss" on the B-Side. The single is out now via Arts & Crafts.

When founding member and a large part of the songwriting and lead vocals Glenn Frey passed away it seemed that the end of Eagles was inevitable. Co-founder Don Henley said  “While I was still in shock during some interviews after Glenn passed away, I did say that I thought that was the end of the band  but I reserve the right to change my mind.”

The surviving members plus one family member and one long time friend of the band will help round out the new configuration which has  wrapped up rehearsals  for the upcoming festivals, set for July 15 and 16 at Dodger Stadium and July 29 and 30 at Citi Field in New York. Deacon Frey, the 24-year-old son of Eagles co-founder Glenn Frey and country music star Vince Gill will divvy up lead vocals on the songs Glenn Frey sang with the Eagles. The  Southern California country rock  band formed in the early 1970s in Los Angeles and is set to headline a two-pronged, bicoastal festival: Classic West and Classic East, alongside Fleetwood Mac, Steely Dan, Earth Wind & Fire, the Doobie Brothers and Journey.

A guerilla-punk-Balkan-folk-brass band massive like no other, LBO traces their genesis back about 8 years to the streets of Toronto, where a quartet of energetic busking troubadours began to amass a battalion of like-minded musical travellers, and the dozen strong Orkestra was born. Since then they’ve been nominated for 2 Junos and won a Canadian Folk Music award, been heralded as a groundbreaking, genre-bending phenomenon by media and fans. They’ve toured in more than a dozen countries, leaving a trail of fiercely dedicated fans in their wake. Equal parts exhilarating precision and reckless abandon, their live shows are truly immersive experiences, ranging from the ecstatic to the cathartic.

The ultimate OG saxman Pee Wee Ellis and Canadian global-roots visionary Jason Wilson are teaming up for a special night at Hugh's Room Live. Ellis was an essential part of James Brown's band and later served as Van Morrison's bandleader. Jason Wilson is a two-time Juno-Awards nominee who fuses reggae with jazz and folk. He has recorded with artists such as Dave Swarbrick, UB40, Jackie Mittoo and Ron Sexsmith. Together, Ellis and Wilson's funky-reggae mix has charmed audiences across Canada, the UK and Jamaica.

Submitted to Cashbox Canada

Earlier this month, singer-songwriter Jessica Mitchell quietly dropped two incredible new singles digitally: "Don't Love Me" and "Tear It Down", co-written by Mitchell herself and produced by Karen Kosowski.

Less than two weeks later, "Don't Love Me" has already hit the Top 50 chart as the #5 Canadian release and has been included on the highly coveted "Wild Country" Spotify playlist with more than half a million followers. In true Mitchell fashion, both songs are moving, relatable and emotive, with "Don't Love Me" showing signs of a true heartbreak ballad and "Tear It Down" echoing tones of empowerment.

A celebration of the life of Ritchie Yorke has been planned to honour a 50 year career of a music writer, author, journalist, cultural critic, broadcaster and media personality, Ritchie Yorke.

On Tuesday June 6, the music industry will gather together in Toronto, Ontario from 5 pm – 9 pm at Drums ‘N’ Flats located at 1980 Avenue Road (just below the 401).

Ritchie Yorke passed away on the night of Monday the 6th of February in Brisbane’s Prince Charles Hospital from complications with his struggle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Ritchie’s career has been long and illustrious, and he will forever be remembered by his family and fellow lovers of music.

Submitted to Cashbox Canada 

AMAARA is the Ethereal Pop music and multi-media project of Kaelen Ohm. A musician, actor and award winning filmmaker, Ohm began AMAARA as a basement project in between tours as a guitarist and singer for Canadian band, Reuben and The Dark. Today, AMAARA shares the news of her forthcoming debut EP, Black Moon, set for release on June 22^nd. For a taste of what is to come, see below for the video for the title track, and listen to new song, Dreamcatcher .

The six-track EP features guest appearances by Charles Spearin of Broken Social Scene, L.A. Guitarist/Producer, Joel Shearer, and Grammy-winning Producer/Engineer, Shawn Everett. Recorded at OCL Studios in Calgary and at The Banff Centre, as well as pieces in Ohm's basement in Calgary and Shearer's home in Topanga Canyon, L.A., Ohm calls the album a practice in creative self-trust.

The current offering from The Wilderness Of Manitoba, The Tin Shop EP is something of a changeup for the band. The layers of anthemic folk rock it's known for have been stripped back to reveal the heart of Will Whitwham’s songwriting. Whitwham together with vocalist/guitarist Raven Shields will support the release with a string of tour dates throughout Spring with Jenny Berkel and Eamon McGrath.

Since its inception The Wilderness Of Manitoba has continued to grow and evolve with every new release. Throughout it all founding member Will Whitwham has left his imprint on each and every sound the band has produced - from the chamber folk debut, Hymns of Love and Spirits, to the cinematic indie pop of Between Colours.

Toronto songwriter and musician Sean MacLean is launching his new project ‘Waves That Stray’ with the release of the video for his debut single “Brick By Brick” on June 1st, 2017. Training a lens on the colourful roots of his hometown, MacLean populated the video with a diverse cast, found through an open casting call put out just weeks before the shoot. The result is a cross-section of Toronto’s thriving culture, featuring actors, dancers, parents, professionals, and students alike. Filmed in an empty loft above now defunct Toronto venue The Hoxton, the video is a sometimes somber yet uplifting glimpse into the personalities of those who have built their lives in the ever-changing landscape of Toronto’s downtown core.

Destined to be the ideal soundtrack to glorious summer in its alternately spirited and languid days and always-convivial nights, If It Feels Right – the hotly anticipated new studio album from Canadian folk/pop giants Lunch At Allen’s – arrives June 16.

Featuring chart-topping musical veterans Murray McLauchlan, Cindy Church, Marc Jordan and Ian Thomas – who have collectively shifted a staggering 25,000,000 units as both solo artists and songwriters for stars like Chicago, Josh Groban, Bonnie Raitt, America, Santana, Cher and Rod Stewart – Lunch At Allen’s is that rarest of beasts: a genuine musical democracy.

If It Feels Right soars as a result.

Paul Kelly, arguably Australia’s preeminent songwriter, will spend the month of May performing intimate shows across North America — his first concerts on this continent since 2013 The tour is in support of Kelly’s 2016 release, the uniquely conceived Death’s Dateless Night , although he will also be playing songs from an award-winning career that has earned him induction into Australian Recording Industry Association’s Hall of Fame and, just earlier this year, being appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for his distinguished service to the performing arts.

Death’s Dateless Night, a collaboration with highly regarded Australian multi-instrumentalist Charlie Owen, contains songs that they have played at various funerals. Featuring a mix of covers, traditional tunes and a few Kelly originals, the album’s vibe is actually far from funereal. The spare, stirring set has been hailed as a “powerful meditation on life, death and the mess we make in-between.”

It was a year of many grassfires, upon occasion a decent brush fire or three but there weren't any roaring, all consuming forest fires at CMW this year.

The Aussie showcase came close to an all out blaze, especially as the night wore on at The Hideout's new home on College and the outdoors temp on the rise. Ducked in to catch Quivers, making their Canadian debut with a fistful of brisk pop songs, cheeky clever lyrics, lotsa chiming guitars and likeable frontman Sam J. Nicholson. The hard candy-coated Eliza & The Delusionals brought shades of The GoGos and flavours of KPop to their indie poprock with a skittery edge. There are decent hooks and the stirrings of something here but it didn't really get across to the room.

A dazzling roster of musical, literary and stage talent is set to host an uplifting evening while raising funds for a dementia support program.

A marquee Canadian line-up – iconic folk singer/songwriter Murray McLauchlan, best-selling author Margaret Atwood, East Coast fiddle sensation Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy, Soulpepper Theatre Company founder, actor/director Albert Schultz, acclaimed Canadian tenor Ben Heppner, dancer Travis Knights and blues singer/guitarist Matt Andersen, will appear at Toronto’s Glenn Gould Studio on Friday, May 5, 2017 for Voices That Care, a concert benefiting the Room 217 Foundation.

Proceeds from Voices That Care support Room 217’s dementia singing program, which vastly enriches the lives of Canadians suffering with dementia, while providing education to caregivers wishing to integrate music into their care practice. Click here to watch a video of the program in action.