Lilla By Festivalen, the festival located in the small village of Rinkaby, Sweden is entering its 4 year and this year looks to be their most successful one ever.

Rinkaby, a small village (Lilla By is Swedish for just that) is located close to Lake Hammarsjon and 12 kilometres from Kristianstad.

The event is the creative dream of Rinkaby residents Malin Osth and Jonas Tancred, who wanted to have a festival for the local village people to gather and for the folks in the vicinity to have an easily commutable destination and has now evolved into a global event, gathering the legendary Canadians as well as up and coming talent.

"We, as well as most other people, had our calendar basically erased during the COVID pandemic so when the restrictions were opening 2021 we thought we just had to create our own little festival. We thought, how hard can it be!? And when we got the opportunity to host our festival together with the music industry professionals showcasing ourselves and other fellow musicians we just had to go with it," explains Malin and Jonas.

Contemporary roots-folk singer-songwriter Howard Gladstone releases the first new single "Crazy Talk" (Sonic Peach Music) from his upcoming album of the same name, to-be-released in September, 2024. This will mark Gladstone’s eighth album to date. He is also publishing a book of his collected lyrics titled "Timepieces." The song is available now on all major platforms.

"Crazy Talk," the title track of Howard Gladstone's upcoming album, is a lighthearted, lazy, jazzy shuffle that pays lyrical homage to Patsy Cline, The Beatles, and Robbie Robertson. The song features delightful backing vocals from JAZZ-FM radio host and musician Laura Fernandez; a mellow bass solo from Bob Cohen; and a sprightly electric guitar solo from the great Tony Quarrington – who co-wrote the song (and four others on the album), and also produced the LP. Says Quarrington, "'Crazy Talk' is a loping, good-natured ramble through various topics: country music, love, revolution, and lots besides."

"I can think of no better gift that I could give to everyone to help me celebrate my birthday". June 15th was a response to the overwhelming feelings developed as the record started to take shape, and with the final mixes. graphics, mastering including the new hidden tracks and EDM dance mixes it took on a persona of its own.... THE CHAMPION

CHAMPION JUST FEELS SO EXCEPTIONAL NOW, SO PHENOMENAL for me- that there would be no better gift I could give to celebrate this time in my life.

Listen on Spotify here: open.spotify.com/album/7nlTROOz1Wx9iwkGl2ZtC5

Centre in the Square, Kitchener, Ontario is elated to announce a transformative lineup of new programs and community engagement initiatives, set to enrich the local arts scene and provide diverse entertainment experiences for all. These initiatives include the launch of a spectacular international series lineup, a dynamic comedy series, and the reopening of the Studio Theatre as an accessible rehearsal and performance space.

International Series: Our international series features a rich tapestry of global talent, including:

Mariza – October 22, 2024 * Portugal
The queen of Fado music, Mariza, will mesmerize audiences with her soulful voice and captivating performances.

Gipsy Kings Ft. Nicolas Reyes – November 4, 2024 * France
Experience the vibrant rhythms and passionate melodies of the Gipsy Kings, led by the legendary Nicolas Reyes.

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo – November 18, 2024* Monaco
This all-male ballet troupe will deliver a humorous and technically masterful performance.

What do sappy Hallmark holiday movies, bellybutton odor, and “basic Canadian girl energy” have in common? They’re all hilarious joke fodder in Windsor, ON-born, Toronto, ON-based Connie Wang’s new YouTube comedy special Canadian Famous.

Though the show takes many comical twists and turns through an exploration of being “Canadian famous” – i.e., starring in TV series, commercials and, yes, even Hallmark holiday movies without ever being fully recognized – Wang uses the end of the hour-long standup to poignantly focus on her mother’s determination to learn English.

Emmylou Harris, Killer Mike, Fitz and The Tantrums, Matt Andersen & The Big Bottle of Joy, The War and Treaty, and Charlotte Day Wilson to headline TD Halifax Jazz Festival Plus Jill Barber, Eliana Cuevas & Jeremy Ledbetter, Julian Lage, Emmet Cohen Trio and more as part of the full festival line up.

The 38th edition of the TD Halifax Jazz Festival (HJF) will take place throughout Halifax, Nova Scotia from Tuesday, July 9 to Sunday, July 14.

Since 1987, the TD Halifax Jazz Festival - originally JazzEast Rising - has been a non-profit organization promoting music and education. Organizing the oldest and largest summer festival in Atlantic Canada, the event also hosts diverse activities, including Jazz Labs and the Creative Music Workshop, contributing to Halifax’s vibrant cultural scene. With a commitment to diversity and cultural celebration, the festival showcases talented musicians, fosters community engagement, and provides unforgettable musical experiences for all.

Exhibition revisiting when Beatlemania swept across the nation, runs at Studio Bell from July 10, 2024 to January 5, 2025.

Shake it up. Twist and shout. It’s time to celebrate the 60th anniversary of The Beatles' arrival in Canada. On July 10, the National Music Centre (NMC) in Calgary will open a new exhibition, From Me to You: The Beatles in Canada 1964-1966, which offers a nostalgic tribute to the band's transformative years upon arriving in Canada for the first time.

The display captures the cultural landscape of Canada in the 1960s, and the frenzied excitement of Beatlemania that swept across the country. Adorned with rare photographs, memorabilia and audiovisual treasures, the exhibition will transport visitors to the landmark moment when The Beatles invaded Canada’s consciousness and ignited a nation's fervour.

This past April, the personal odyssey of Indigenous Canadian musician Tom Wilson Tehoháhake hit a new milestone when his 2017 novel, Beautiful Scars: Steeltown Secrets, Mohawk Skywalkers and the Road Home—which had already been adapted into a 2022 film documentary—was presented as a stage musical at Hamilton’s Theatre Aquarius. Now, Wilson’s own take on one of the big numbers from that show, “Death Row Love Affair,” is being released as a single, adding yet another chapter to his perpetually captivating story of healing while acting as a tantalizing preview of a new album he’ll be delivering later this year.

In the show - co-conceived by Wilson and writer/actor Shaun Smyth - the song provides a powerful closer to Act One. Wilson’s own rendition is an achingly honest rumination, with a hovering ominousness that perfectly befits its depiction of a human soul at a reckoning point:

Who’s kiddin’ who about where love goes
Some speed away
Some are going down slow
Oh I’m going nowhere in this death row love affair

Burlington has a rich history of arts and culture that has played a key role in the city’s success, dating back to the historical Brant Inn that featured jazz legends such as Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. For years, Burlington artists and community leaders have upheld this tradition while laying the groundwork for the next generation of cultural innovators.

The Burlington Performing Arts Centre (‘BPAC’) established its Hall of Fame in 2013. Every year since then, the Hall of Fame has recognized artists who have made significant contributions to the performing arts in Burlington, including the internationally acclaimed conductor Boris Brott, and legendary Canadian comedian and broadcaster Gordie Tapp.

The latest addition to this list is Burlington-based singer-songwriter Chris McKhool. McKhool is a 7-time winner of the Canadian Folk Music Awards and a 4-time JUNO Award nominee for both his music for young people and his involvement in the band Sultans of String. He is a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal recipient, and has received numerous awards from Folk Music Ontario, Canadian Independent Music Association and SiriusXM.

For the high-brow music crowd, video game scores rarely make their regular listening rotation, but these video games buck the trend. We've sifted through hours of video game soundtracks to find the ones that really stand out. Some are surprisingly simple, providing the perfect backdrop to a quiet gaming session; others are dramatic, amplifying the experience and taking it to new heights. My personal favourites are the ones who had to delve deep into archive footage to bring history to life. So, if you're ready to add some video game songs to your playlist, let's get started.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Composed by Jeremy Soule, this Nordic masterpiece encapsulates the beauty of the world that the Skyrim developers have created. If you're not familiar with the game, then understand that it's an enormous open world, based on the Nordic landscape, but with the addition of dragons. It's magical, mystical, and staggeringly beautiful, just like the soundtrack.

Subversives - The History Of The Lowest Of The Low is available at select retailers and all Sunrise Records locations in Canada, The film is also now available to stream or buy on Apple TV.

WEST OF THE LOW is a Canadian band that has been together for over 30 years. They held the record for most albums sold until Barenaked Ladies outsold them in the early 1990's. This is the story of how a band that stuck to their guns flying the "indy flag" until the major labels came calling in the mid-nineties.

It's a story of tenacity and the will to create art without the corporate fingers in the pudding. This film was funded by Simon Head with some contributions from fans of the band. The making of the film parallels the band's ethics and beliefs regarding art & commerce.

Blu-ray Extras:
Shakespeare My Butt Song For Song
Brown Hawkins Stanley - City Full Of Cowards
Don't Call Me A Sellout
Fights Nazis And Other Delights
Greg Broke A String
Lazy Days
Life Imitating Art
Toronto And Buffalo Fans

Latin Music Festival that will be taking place this June 15 in the heart of Toronto, at Luminato in the Square. Lula Lounge is coming outside and heating up the Square with legendary Peruvian cumbia band Los Mirlos plus artists from Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Peru and Cuba and more.

All free, all outside and for all ages, Lulu World is a partnership between west-end Toronto music venue Lula Lounge and luminatofestival.com/. The day will also feature delicious Latin-inspired food and drink available for purchase.

Free Music:
DJ Sonic Sancocho
Juno-winning vocalist Dayme Arocena
Rio de Janeiro’s Forróçacana (presented in collaboration with local community Uma Nota Culture and Showzaço

Free Dance Classes:
Cuban indie jazz, rumba, forró, samba reggae, Latin pop and more. Bring the whole family to dance to the rhythms of Colombia, Brazil and Cuba with beginner workshops taught by local and international instructors.