Celebrate Canada Day at Studio Bell with live music that takes you on a cross-Canada journey, interactive exhibitions and some surprises.To commemorate Studio Bell’s first year of opening, and Canada 150, admission on July 1 will be free*, courtesy of Bell.

“Studio Bell celebrates its 1^st birthday on July 1 against the backdrop of Canada 150,” said Andrew Mosker, President and CEO of the National Music Centre (NMC). “We are excited to celebrate these two milestones with two major accessible and fun events. As the home for music in Canada, we are ready to rock on Canada Day.”

Studio Bell will be open on Canada Day from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Visitors will enjoy free admission all day and a range of on-site activations and entertainment:

• “O Canada” sing-along

· Live music all day, including soul, hip hop, gypsy jazz and bluegrass pop-up sets

· Instrument interactives and NMC Educators throughout the building to help you rock out

With the release date of June 2^nd,Benjamin Booker's new album Witness (ATO Records) is streaming in full now via CBC Music's First Play.

North By Northeast (NXNE) is pleased to announce provocative, politically charged electro-pop sensation Peaches as part of this year’s festival. From acclaimed theatre productions to her cinematic debut at the Toronto International Film Festival, her triumphant ‘Live at Massey Hall’ show to the release of her first book, Polaris Prize Winner Peaches, has pushed herself further and with more artistic rewards than ever before during her time away from the studio. Peaches has managed to wield immeasurable influence over mainstream pop culture while still operating from outside of its confines, carving a bold, sexually progressive path in her own image that's opened the door for countless others to follow.

Peaches will be joined by a special set from producer, promoter DJ Betti Forde. Stay tuned for support acts to be announced.

Hugh’s Room Live and Lance Anderson will be presenting a Celebration of Levon Helm with
Jerome Levon Avis (Levon Helm’s godson), Jesse O’Brien, (Colin James Band), Matt Weidinger and musical director Lance Anderson, with a nine piece band.

To honour Toronto’s adopted son Levon, who with his fellow Hawks, tore up Yonge St. in the early sixties and laid the foundation of Rock n Roll and Rhythm and Blues in T.O. We have gathered an All Star cast of some of the country’s top musicians and singers, to play the music Levon sang with THE BAND, before The BAND with Levon and the Hawks and after the band with Levon Helm and the RCO All Stars and the Barnburners.

Levon Helm was one of the world’s most unique drummers. The fact that he also had a voice that could charm the coldest heart and could sing and play at the same time, made him even more special.

It is a special evening, with incredible performances and heartfelt tributes. This show has always sold out. Don’t be disappointed, get your tickets early.

The TD Toronto Jazz Festival is excited to announce it will be moving to Yorkville when it kicks off this summer fromJune 23 - July 2nd, 2017. With more than 100 free concerts being presented throughout stages in Yorkville, we invite everyone to experience the best jazz from Toronto, across the country and around the world Shows start daily at noon and finish at 10 p.m.

We are honoured that multiple Grammy Award-winner Aaron Neville will be headlining our Yorkville Avenue stage with a free performance on Saturday, June 24. A full Yorkville schedule and site map will be available at torontojazz.com in early June.

Germain Robert Joseph (Gerry) Lacoursiere, the man responsible for the launch of A&M Records in Canada, has passed away on May 9th at his family home in Windsor, Ontario.
The legendary Canadian record label executive was inducted into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame in 1997, just after he retired from the position of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Polygram Group. He was also presented the Billboard International Business Achievement Award by the trade publication.

A & M Records Canada was established in 1970 under Lacoursiere’s direction. It was headquartered in Toronto, and, by 1990, had branch offices in six other cities.

A & M Records of Canada Ltd. Canadian subsidiary of A & M Records, a US company founded in 1962 by the trumpeter Herb Alpert (then leader of the Tijuana Brass) and the producer Jerry Moss. A & M and its subsidiaries became part of PolyGram in 1990. A & M (Canada) was established in 1970 under the direction of Gerry Lacoursiere, with head offices in Toronto and, by 1990, branch offices in six other cities. (Joe Summers succeeded Lacoursiere as president in 1990.)

The Beach Boys, widely considered one of the mostinfluential bands in rock and roll, will set out on its Wild Honey World Touracross the U.S. and Europe. The tourbegins on May 18^th at theRoyal Albert Hall in London and willwind through the U.K. and Europe beforeheading to the US. The band is set toperform several US dates including theBeacon Theater in New York City onAugust 17^th. The tour willcontinue into fall of 2017 and featurethe band's beloved summer sound as theyperform a mix of their greatest hitsand fan favorites.

"We are so excited to begin our WildHoney World Tour. It is such an amazingexperience to witness generations offans, from all corners of the world,come together to celebrate our music,"said Mike Love, lead singer andco-founder of The Beach Boys. "It isincredible to see our fans, show aftershow, city after city, country aftercountry, dancing and singing along tothese songs we have loved and performedfor decades."

SEETHER , (Shaun Morgan, vocals/guitar; Dale Stewart, bass/vocals; John Humphrey, drums) have shared a new track called Nothing Left from their upcoming album Poison the Parish, due out May 12^th, 2017 through Morgan's new Canine Riot Records via Concord Music Group.

Poison the Parish was recorded at Blackbird Studio in Nashville, Tennessee, and marks the first album produced in its entirety by front man Morgan. Among the heaviest and emotionally pure efforts of the Seether’s illustrious career, the new album embodies the band’s newfound ferocity and resolve. "In a time when it’s easy to tune out all the monotonous rock, Seether’s Poison the Parish proves the South African outfit still grooves, crushes and rocks harder than all,” affirms REVOLVER. Alternative Press was similarly impressed stating , "Poison the Parish is a return to the darker and heavier style of music that Seether built their name upon.”

Singer-songwriter and storyteller Kim Doolittle steps forward from a complex and musically evolving past and INTO THE BLUE, her new album that she’ll release at Hugh’s Room Live on Thursday, June 8 at 8:30 pm. The blues singer with the serious pipes will be joined by guests Ken Whiteley, Tom Leighton, Bucky Berger, Victor Bateman, Rob Quail and Pat Carey.

“I love to sing, write, play and tell stories about a life I had perfectly planned,” says Kim Doolittle. “Those plans went more curly than straight, teaching me that too many plans are laughable, while those curves inform my Muse.”

Royal Wood is set to embark on a national tour alongside the legendary Bonnie Raitt this spring. On the road since the beginning of the year, Royal has traveled endlessly across North America and Europe impressing audiences with his stunning live show.

Royal Wood's most recent release Ghost Light (Cadence Music) has been met with rave reviews since its release with praise from Canada.com's Pop Forcast who say "Ghost Light is a musical poltergeist you won't want to exorcise." Ghost Light is an album that exudes raw emotion and emanates a feel of the songwriters of the sixties and seventies. Without modern day studio trickery like auto-tuning and digital perfection, the album is warm, inviting and completely forthright

Most recently Royal Wood released Ghost Light Sessions, a series of live off the floor videos that include covers of Bob Dylan's "Make You Feel My Love," James Bay's "Let it Go" and his own "Good To Be Young."

As part of the ongoing strategy to help Saskatchewan artists succeed in worldwide markets, SaskMusic is set to undertake a series of overseas events. We are pleased to be participating in a new export mission this year, to Wrexham, Wales for the Focus Wales festival. Continuing our longstanding partnership with Alberta Music , Manitoba Music, and Music BC , our associations will co-present a showcase under the BreakOut West brand at Undegun on May 12, and Rewind on May 13.

A Lance Andersen presentation featuring the The Music Of Joe Cocker And Leon Russell -
The recent death of Leon Russell, makes this show an even more fitting tribute to that great musical agglomeration known as Mad Dogs and Englishmen.

Featuring 13 artists  including two drummers,(Shamakah Ali & Charlie Coolie) percussion, horns and singers,  Chuck Jackson (Downchild Blues Band), Matt Weidinger (Kitchener phenom) Cheryl Lescom (Long John Baldry), Quisha Wint, and Coco Larain and led by Juno award winning producer Lance Anderson.
This show with many of the country’s top Blues and Roots music artists is a powerhouse Soul and Gospel/rock show guaranteed to bring the house down.

Juno Award winning producer Lance Anderson (who brought The Last Waltz and Genius+Soul=The Music of Ray Charles to Hugh’s Room) has brought together another wonderful line up of BLUES ALL STARS including singers Chuck Jackson (The Downchild Blues Band) and Matt Weidinger (Lumberjunk), Cheryl Lescom and gospel sensations Quisha Wint and Coco Larain to recreate the magic of the award winning 1970’s tour, album and movie of the same name.

Tune Up Toronto is a MusicOntario workshop series designed to cater to the needs of local music communities, for artists and emerging music professionals alike. This edition of Tune Up TO teams up with TD and JAZZ.FM91 and is exclusively designed for Ontario’s JAZZ community, featuring a day of workshops and networking curated to advance your performing, recording and touring careers. Top players in the industry will give you the inside track on how to grow and thrive.

PANELS:
Session 1. Tackling the Conference World 
Attending industry conferences is expensive, daunting and time-consuming. So, how can you make the most of it? Working smart goes beyond just showing up and shaking hands or playing a showcase slot; it requires goal setting, preparation and action. This session will give you the chance to hear from the very people who organize conferences and showcases, experienced managers, and entrepreneurial artists to learn from each perspective how to ensure that each conference you go to becomes a meaningful stepping stone in your career.

Each year SING! Toronto honours a person or ensemble who has made a significant contribution to the vocal arts in Canada and internationally. We are pleased to announce the 2017 honouree: Elaine Overholt. She will receive the award on May 27 at Jane Mallett Theatre as part of the ” O Canada! The Golden Age of Canadian Pop” concert. Tickets at boxoffice.stlc.com

Toronto: Multiple award-winning recording artist Liberty Silver will be joined by pianist Eddie Bullen, singer/songwriter AHI and DJs JC Sunshine (of the original Sunshine Crew), Paul Chin and Michael Williams for a night of classic live Soul music, DJs and dancing onSunday May 7th at the popular Whistler’s Grille in Toronto. This will mark the launch of a monthly Soul in the City Live! Sunday night dance series presented by Michael Williams…

Jammin’ the “back in the day” way!

Gifted Tibetan-Canadian singer and multi-instrumentalist DORJEE TSERING is celebrating Canada’s 150th birthday has released a new single, “THANK YOU CANADA,” on Friday, April 21^st, and a full album of the same name, in a concert at Toronto’s Lula Lounge, 1585 Dundas Street West, on Tuesday, June 6th at 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm. Doors open at 6:00 pm and Dorjee invites everyone to join him in a beginner Tibetan dance lesson before the concert. Toronto’s purveyors of folk, rock, blues, and Hindustani music SO LONG SEVEN close out the night.

Singer-songwriter and blues/roots traveler Markus James’ 2015 CD, Head for the Hills, garnered international critical acclaim, and now a song from that album, “On a Mississippi Porch,” is in the soundtrack of the new Oprah Winfrey film, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, which premiered on HBO Saturday, April 22, 2017.

The song features Markus James playing a hand-made gourd banjo, accompanied by legendary Mississippi Hill Country drummer Calvin Jackson, on hambone percussion.

In anticipation of the May release of their debut album, In The Wind, LA-based alt-folk trio, Magic Giant, announced their In The Wind 2017 tour with shows in San Francisco, New York City, Washington DC, Vancouver and more! They will also be playing at various music festivals including WayHome Music and Arts Festival, Emerge Festival, Sun Drenched Music Festival, LaureLive, Firefly Music Festival, RiSE Festival, and more. See below for the complete list of tour dates. Magic Giant premiered Set On Fire live from The Bunker via Culture Collide.

The band has released two songs from In The Wind, Set On Fire and Jade.  In The Wind will be released on May 19th via Washington Square/Razor&Tie. The album was co-produced with Ben Allen (Walk the Moon, MIA, Gnarls Barkley, Animal Collective).

To date, Set On Fire, amassed over 4 million streams in less than one year, and reached #4 on Spotify's US Viral 50.

Just before the kick-off of the Beautiful Freakshow cross-country arena tour, Dean Brody’s latest single, "Beautiful Freakshow", a progressive track featuring a rap vocal contribution from Halifax native Shevy Price, was released to country radio on April 12. Co-written by Price and Brody, lyrically the track takes a look at an exquisite, imperfect, relationship between two people coming together from different walks of life, which are mirrored by the synergistic fusion of country and rap.

Just one week after its official release, Beautiful Freakshow was the #1 Country Album, with the second single, “Time”, remaining the top-selling single for 13 weeks straight.

In the greenrooms around Southern Ontario, the passenger seat of a worn-down vehicle, the living room of a sound-proofed house, Streetlight Social was born. Here to serve you, Chris Millar (vocals/guitar), Brandon Ptolemy (vocals/guitar/mandolin), Kevin Austin (vocals/piano/guitar/banjo), and Brendan McMillan (bass/strings) work together in close quarters to bring you their first full-length record, Blood From Stone. Set for release on May 5 th, the album is the culmination of years of hard work, and the years of hard-rock left behind. Have a listen to the lead single, Daybreaks – which can currently be heard on radiowaves across the country – for a taste of what Blood From Stone has to offer.