After a four-year hiatus from the airwaves, the visceral rock and roll force The Mandevilles has officially returned with their brand-new single, “Every Bit Of Violence”. Out now via Snareguy Records, the track marks a high-stakes evolution for the Welland-based outfit, blending the raw energy of rock and roll with a modern, alternative edge. Built on a foundation of grit and cinematic intensity, the single arrives as a powerful reminder of why founding partners Serena Pryne and Nick Lesyk have remained a cornerstone of the Canadian rock scene for over a decade.

The genesis of “Every Bit Of Violence” is as legendary as the sound itself; the song was quite literally written live on stage during a low-key afternoon gig. When an impromptu riff from Lesyk sparked an immediate vocal melody from Pryne, the band mapped out the structure of the track in real-time, capturing the lightning-in-a-bottle moment via phone recordings. This spirit of total spontaneity carried into the studio, where the band—rounded out by guitarist/synthesist Taylor Laslo—collaborated with mixer and co-producer Russ Donohue to refine a sound that Pryne describes as "magical" and "harmonious".

In 2016, Bara Jonson and Free submitted the song Appetite to Melodifestivalen in Kristianstad, Sweden.  It didn’t make the cut. The song was released later that year anyway and went on to live a life of its own.

Now, almost exactly ten years later, it’s time again. “Appetite ANNO X” is released the same weekend Melodifestivalen returns to Kristianstad. Sometimes life and timing are magical, and this is no exception with the latest release from BjF.

Canadian/International Singer/Recording Artist JC Sol brings her signature smooth, sultry style — with a fresh twist. Join her on a fun, flirtatious musical romp as she unveils an upbeat new take on ‘Pillow Talk,’ arriving just in time for Valentine’s Day.

Originally recorded by Sylvia Robinson in 1973, the song draws the listener into a playful, lighthearted dance with temptation—an invitation delivered with a wink and very little left to the imagination.
JC says: “I love reintroducing vintage cover songs that once resonated so strongly. They give audiences—both young and old, a chance to experience these classics in fresh ways. For some, it’s a wave of nostalgia…for others, it’s the thrill of hearing a timeless song for the very first time.”

Watch on YouTube here:

# 1 in Biographies of Pop Musicians on Amazon
Top 100 on Memoirs on Amazon

“It's All Coming Back to Me..." Offers an Intimate Look at the Songs, Collaborations, and Shared Dreams That Defined an Era in Music

Following a string of prestigious accolades, 19-year-old fiddler, singer, and multi-instrumentalist Irish Millie continues her remarkable ascent in the Canadian roots scene with the release of her latest single, "WASTED". This landmark track serves as a centerpiece of her acclaimed EP 'Between Then and Now', a project that captures the space between two chapters of life and the quiet realization of how much growth happens in the in-between.

www.youtube.com/@IrishMillieFiddleTunes

We caught up with Millie in her hometown of Peterborough, Ontario and this spirited ginger had a lot to share with Cashbox Canada. She is only 19 years old but is an old soul through and through and is passionate about music, life and family.

I asked about her eclectic tastes in music, choosing the classic Devil Went Down to Georgia by the Charlie Daniels Band and Zappa’s Directly From my Heart to You on her live show performances.

Lisa Hartt is Montreal-born, Canadian singer/songwriter and a Juno Nominee in the 70’s when she as the lead singer of The Lisa Hartt Band, which garnished her a hit single with ‘Old Time Movie’, which put her name into the Canadian music industry archives for eternity. She was awarded the Cashbox Legacy Award in 2023 at the Canadian Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden, while she was on tour there. 
Now Lisa Hartt is about to release her new heartfelt song dedicated to her “Best Friend”.

We caught up with Lisa Hartt at her home in Toronto, Canada.

"‘Best Friend’ began as a conversation I wasn’t yet ready to finish.”

Creative and Graphic Designs for Robert Priest:  Allen Booth

When speaking with poet and songwriter Robert Priest, you can’t help but think: wow — what a gentle, sweet, and interesting person, with an amazing head of hair. Over coffee, the kind words begin, the conversation shifts from light banter to the bizarre and the dark, and I sit back and listen — deeply intrigued by this poet’s mind as I jot down notes.

Often referred to as the People’s Poet, Priest’s body of work — fourteen books of poetry and eight CDs of music — beautifully captures the rainbow of emotions that comprise the human spirit. He has long had his share of admirers among the literati. Toronto Poet Laureate Lillian Allen, for instance, calls him “one of my favourite poets ever.”

“He is the people’s poet,” she says, “because he speaks to people about real-life situations and isn’t afraid to say what he feels. He is generous and has always supported other poets and artists, especially those who are breaking the rules.”

8BANGER Is a “festival style” rock act with half a century of combined rock and roll experience between members; having played the smallest of venues to the largest of stages.

Based in Dundas, Ontario, Canada. The band has been active since 2023. The new single “I Don’t Want To Go” was released in January of 2026. Recorded at Grant Avenue Studios, distributed by Current Records and Management, is capturing media and radio attention world-wide.

A music video has also been released to support the single:

Thank you all for a great year - Team Cashbox is grateful. We are taking a much needed break and we will see you back here on January 9, 2026.

Support live music and support the indies!

Sandy Graham: 2025 has been a year of political chaos and so much uncertainty but the one thing that always stays the same is the music. We can take ourselves back in time with the legendary hits that shaped our lives and also find new favourites that end up on repeat. I am also so impressed by all the new music that indie artists are releasing now. It gives me so much hope that the future of music is in safe hands with the younger new artists that are making huge leaps in creating great songs and great lyrics.

I get so many thank yous for the work Cashbox Canada does, but the truth is it is Team Cashbox that is responsible for keeping us out there every week.

Canada’s original disco queen has maintained a career that includes recording, acting on Broadway, London’s West End and on film, performing on some of the worlds biggest stages, has started creating her own documentary films and even contributed to a best-selling book featuring all the great disco era divas. From the late 70s through today, Claudja has enjoyed hits in every decade, thanks to loyal fans and supportive radio programmers. Her initial success was in Canada where she earned Juno awards and was the first inductee to the Black Music Hall of Fame, together with Oscar Peterson. She became a star throughout Europe, and in the States and was nominated for an American Music Award for Best Female Artist and appeared on NBC’s Seventh Annual Rhythm & Blues Awards.

Legendary Canadian rock band 54-40 return with their highly anticipated new album 'PORTO', set for release on January 23, 2026. The announcement follows the debut of four powerful new singles, "Running for the Fence," "Die To Heaven," "Time Will Tell," and "Virgil," released today, marking the beginning of a bold new chapter for one of Canada's most celebrated bands.

youtube.com/5440official

Frontman Neil Osborne describes the project as “an album about renewal and resilience — it’s about the work it takes to keep creating, to stay connected, and to keep loving what you do.” Bassist Brad Merritt adds, “We’ve always tried to write songs that feel honest and grounded in real life. These new tracks capture that — they sound like where we’ve been, but also where we’re going.”

Listen on Spotify here: open.spotify.com/album/07xfLJOcEumRZZ7mADSOnY

Cashbox Canada and Sandy Graham have been Crossing Borders and Building Bridges In Europe for over 8 years, after having met Malin Osth and Jonas Tancred in Newfoundland at a Showcase Festival on Burin Peninsula. Appearing as the duo Bara Jonson and Free, Newfoundland fell in love with their music and this is  where a business and personal relationship was formed with Sandy and Canada.

When Malin and Jonas renamed a barn at the Lilla By Festivalen in Rinkaby, Sweden, Kanaladan (the Canada Barn), the magic happened and we now want to expand on the appearances and experiences of Canadian artists in 2026.

So we are launching North2North, a Canadian indie artist competition, that is open now, and artists will have top notch adjudicators hear, listen and provide feedback on each and every submission, a value that creates winning no matter what the final decision is for the chosen participants who will travelling in a Canadian contingency to appear at Lilla By Festivalen, in Rinkaby, Sweden, June 12 and 13, 2026. In addition, the winners will receive great prizes right here in Canada. 

Industry icon and entrepreneur extraordinaire Jim Norris has announced the launch a new podcast series brings authentic stories from the entertainment industry "Backstage Insider with Jim Norris".

The entertainment world has a new destination for authentic, unfiltered conversations. "Backstage Insider with Jim Norris," invites audiences into the real world of the entertainment industry through compelling interviews with the people who shape the entertainment industry, today and tomorrow.

Host Jim Norris brings his extensive entertainment industry experience to be in conversations that go beyond the surface. From seasoned professionals who've shaped the industry to emerging talents making their mark, each episode uncovers the untold stories that rarely make headlines.

Singer Burton Cummings and founding guitarist Randy Bachman are bringing The Guess Who back together for the first time in more than two decades, marking a victory following their legal fight to reclaim the Canadian rock band’s name.

The reunion comes after Cummings and Bachman successfully sued to gain control of the Guess Who trademark. Their dispute centered on a touring version of the band that had been performing without any original members after founding bassist Jim Kale and drummer Garry Peterson, who held the rights to the name, retired. 
The lawsuit alleged the touring group used original recordings in advertising “to give the false impression that Plaintiffs are performing.”

Cummings told Rolling Stone in April 2024 that he was “willing to do anything to stop the fake band; they’re Randy and my life story and pretending it’s theirs.”
Cummings went as far as sacrificing some of his own publishing royalties to prevent the other group from performing his songs.

Every December, something extraordinary happens. The lights shine a little brighter. The songs sound a little warmer. And somewhere between the first snowfall and the last encore, Andy Kim steps on stage and reminds us that kindness still sells out.

The 21st Annual Andy Kim Christmas is coming back to Toronto’s legendary Massey Hall on December 3, a tradition so deeply Canadian it might as well come with a double-double and an emotional standing ovation. For more than two decades, Andy has turned his holiday concert into a season of giving, raising over 2.25 million dollars for charities across Canada. This year, the Toronto show supports CAMH’s Gifts of Light, bringing hope and care to people in need.

November 7, 2025, Remastered for the First Time, Featuring Unreleased Tracks and Demos

Formed in 1969 by drummer/ composer Skip Prokop and keyboardist/ composer Paul Hoffert, Lighthouse shattered musical boundaries with their trailblazing fusion of rock, jazz, and classical music. Dubbed a “rock orchestra,” the multi-JUNO Award–winning band quickly became one of Canada’s most electrifying live acts, performing sold-out shows around the world, including Carnegie Hall, the Fillmore East and West, Expo ’70 in Japan, and the Isle of Wight Festival — where Lighthouse was an audience favourite (among Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix, and more), and the only band invited to perform an additional set at the closing concert.

Sometimes a song has to wait for the right time and the right artist for it to make its full impact. I believe that Michael Peterson’s version of “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” is a perfect example of that scenario. The song was a hit for The Hollies in 1969, but there’s never been more need for its message than in the divided world we inhabit in 2025. Million selling recording artist and award-winning singer songwriter Michael Peterson delivers a career performance on his newly released version of this classic song.

Juno-nominated, acclaimed singer-songwriter Lisa Hartt returns with “Quiet Spaces”, a soul-stirring new single from her forthcoming EP Hiraeth. Following the hauntingly beautiful “Nobody’s Wife”, this new song deepens the journey of love, loss, and spiritual connection that Hart began after the death of her beloved husband Michael in 2022.

"The lyric for "Nobody's Wife" came to me fully formed out of a dream in those early nightmarish days when I still awoke at 2 am, thinking I heard Michael coughing or moving about, and then realizing in a moment of clarity that he is gone."

In a music career spanning more than five decades, Harold Payne has worn many hats: multi-platinum songwriter, improvisational performer, global traveler, and tireless advocate for the power of positive music. He has written with and for legends like Bobby Womack, Patti LaBelle, Rod Stewart, and his songs have appeared in films from Beverly Hills Cop II to Splash. Yet today, at a moment when the world feels fragmented, Payne’s focus is simple, human, and profoundly connective: his new EP, My Tribe.

It’s a collection born not of commerce but of calling—a suite of songs that circle around unity, gratitude, and the recognition that music can be both a balm and a gathering place. “Most of the songs that I’ve been creating for the last few decades have been on the positive, uplifting side,” Payne says. “That wasn’t just a strategy. It’s who I am. It’s what I naturally gravitate to.”

Building Music in the Public Square