Some of the best, most innovative musical acts ever started out when they were merely teens – The Runaways, The Strokes, The Arctic Monkeys, to name just a few – and Canada’s Teen Jam, a first-of-its-kind performance showcase, is well aware of the immense talent and creativity that can be developed during that wonderful time of life.

Canada’s Teen Jam will allow finalists to perform on a massive concert stage as an opener to this year’s Wayback Festival in Kitchener, Ontario, on July 22. The performance will allow teen artists to explore their natural musical talents in front of both their peers and industry heavyweights, and counts Kitchener Councillor Bill Ioannidis as a supporter.

Teen Jam was created by Mark Higgins, producer, and founder of Big Music Fests, which has featured A-listers including Aerosmith, Bryan Adams, Soundgarden, The Tragically Hip, Slash, ZZ Top and many more legendary acts.

Shirley Eikhard, writer of the Grammy-Award winning "Something To Talk About" as well as a two-time JUNO and multi-BMI Award winner and inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall Of Fame, had died. She passed away at the Orangeville Hospital surrounded by wonderfully caring staff and dear friends at age 67.

Born in Sackville, New Brunswick, Eikhard loved her Canadian roots and over the past 43 years, has travelled the world both as a performer and writer.

Eikhard’s songs have been covered by the likes of Bonnie Raitt, Cher, Anne Murray, and Ginette Reno to name but a few of the incredible artists who have enjoyed success with Eikhard’s writing and she had written well over 500 songs to date.

Raitt’s recording of Eikhard’s composition “Something to Talk About” proved a spectacular success. The single, off Raitt’s Luck of the Draw album, peaked on Billboard’s Hot 100 and adult contemporary charts at #5 in October 1991, and at No. 8 on Cashbox. It placed even higher in Canada, at #3 on the RPM Top 100 chart and #4 adult contemporary and made the top 20 on RPM’s 1991 year-end chart.

Dan McCafferty, an original member and longtime lead vocalist of the Scottish rock group, Nazareth, died today (Nov. 8, 2022) at age 76. The news was shared by their bassist Pete Agnew, also a founding member, on the band’s Facebook page calling it “the saddest announcement I ever had to make.”

Nazareth originally formed in Dumfermline, Scotland in 1968, by McCafferty, Agnew, guitarist Manny Charlton and drummer Darryl Sweet, all members of a local band the Shadettes. The new band took their name from the Pennsylvania town referred to in The Band’s song from earlier that year, “The Weight.”

After releasing their eponymous debut album in 1971, the band broke big when, after supporting Deep Purple on tour, they released the Roger Glover-produced Razamanaz album in early 1973 to critical and fan acclaim. They then released a string of singles including “Broken Down Angel,” “Hair of the Dog,” and “Love Hurts.” The power ballad, released in 1975, reached #8 on the Hot 100 in early 1976, and hit #1 in several territories. The band has continued to release albums and tour the globe since.

Jeff Cook, a co-founding member of the trendsetting Country Music Hall of Fame band Alabama, died Monday at age 73.

For a decade, Cook battled Parkinson’s disease, a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects movement and causes tremors. He publicly disclosed his diagnosis in 2017.

A representative for the band confirmed his death Tuesday afternoon to the Tennessean. Cook died at his beachside home in Destin, Florida.

Singer/Songwriter/Square Dance Caller/Early Childhood Musician Hannah Shira Naiman has released her 3^rd full length album out now on all major platforms. She’ll be celebrating the release with a concert on November 6^th at 7:00 pm at the Tranzac Club in Toronto. Opening set will be with Nathan Smith (Barrel Boys) and Alan Mackie (Vinta) All proceeds (after expenses) will go towards the Canadian Perinatal Mental Health Collaborative: an important advocacy group lobbying for a national maternal mental health plan. www.cpmhc.ca Tickets $18 Advance/ $20 Door. For more information please visit any of the links below or Hannah’s website. 

Official Album Release Party

On Tuesday, September 27th, live at Bar Cathedral (54 The Esplanade), Spark Houston and The Magnettes are performing a free show to launch the new global initiative EuroCan. Industry professionals and true music fans are expected to attend in celebration of the new initiative and to experience the transformative blending of cultures. Spark Houston, one of Canada’s most promising and exciting rap talents and The Magnettes, Sweden’s brash, beautiful, feminist punk icons are sure to own the stage.

Through a groundbreaking collaboration between Canada and Europe, EuroCan is proud to announce the beginning of a new frontier in live music, where cultural bridges are built, and new opportunities are created for artists of all backgrounds, ethnicities, sexual orientations and gender ideologies. 

Following a two-year hiatus on account of the pandemic, Toronto’s legendary Grossman’s Tavern has announced its annual Amy Louie / Grossman's Music Scholarship and fundraiser event will return for 2022.

Created in memory of the late Amy Louie — a member of the family that has owned Grossman’s Tavern since 1975 — the ALGMS is an artist development bursary that provides two musicians or bands from the Greater Toronto Area $2,000 and $1,000, respectively, to help with career development.

The 2022 Amy Louie / Grossman's Music Scholarship fundraising event will take place Tuesday, September 27th at Grossman’s Tavern, 379 Spadina Ave, Toronto.

ALGMS applications are officially open and can be received until September 16th, 2022 at 11:59pm EST. Successful candidates will be chosen by a panel of judges that include members of the Louie family, music industry professionals, and individuals with long-standing connections to Grossman’s Tavern.

BMG has agreed a deal to acquire Germany’s largest independent record label, Telamo, a specialist in Schlager music.

Sources tell MBW that the acquisition will approximately double BMG’s annual recorded music revenues in Germany, the world’s fourth largest music market. According to figures published in BMG parent Bertelsmann‘s annual report earlier this year, BMG generated EUR €40 million in Germany in 2021, across both its recorded music and music publishing operations. Recordings account for around half of BMG’s revenues in Germany.

BMG’s combined recorded music market share post-Telamo acquisition will be 8.5% in Germany, says the company, creating “one of the largest German label divisions across all genres”.

Country Music icon Naomi Judd has died at age 76.  Naomi's daughters, Ashley Judd and Wynonna Judd, announced their mother's death in a statement on Saturday, April 30^th, 2022.

"Today we sisters experienced a tragedy. We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness. We are shattered. We are navigating profound grief and know that as we loved her, she was loved by her public," the statement read. "We are in unknown territory."

An additional statement from Naomi's husband of 32 years, Larry Strickland, reads: "Naomi Judd's family request privacy during this heartbreaking time. No additional information will be released at this time."

Marking the 20th Anniversary of the iconic Toronto Latin and global music venue Lula Lounge, Lula Music and Arts presents  Lulaworld 2022. Featured are seven nights of local heroes and special guests performing salsa, Indigenous throat singing, Arabic roots, jazz, Jamaican dancehall and reggae, Cuban  funk, soul, Turkish pop and more. The festival reflects the venue’s deep connections to diverse communities in Toronto and the cultural diasporas to which they belong. For more information and Eventbrite tickets please visit www.Lula.ca.

The festival with a capital ’N’, as in Next to discover the best bands before they break through is back; North by Northeast (NXNE) is officially starting to unveil its 2022 plans right as the sun starts to warm our souls.

Taking place in the nation’s entertainment mecca that is Toronto, Canada’s quintessential annual cultural explosion featuring music and more is set to span June 14th - 19th and feature more than 300 of the world's best artists of today — and tomorrow.

Case in point? NXNE had Grimes, Lumineers, Daniel Caesar, Run The Jewels, The Weather Station, Sarah Harmer, Metz, Sarah Harmer, the Arkells, Sam Roberts, Lizzo, Future Islands, Vince Staples, Billy Talent, Post Malone, Feist, and thousands more on stages as part of the festival… All before they became household names.

“We’re back and taking over more than 20 of Toronto’s top live music venues,” NXNE Founder and President Michael Hollett reveals. “We want to make it very easy for people to come back to live music and experience stage-hopping like festivals used to be.”

When I think of Foo Fighters, I instantly think of Taylor Hawkins’ smile, with a close second of Dave Grohl distinctive alternative rock, grunge, heavy rock sound.  I’ve been a Foo Fighter fan since ‘Learning to Fly’ came out on Rock Band.  Even if you don’t like the Foo Fighters music, you probably still know who they are.

An overwhelming shock was felt around the world when the news Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins had died at age 50 started hitting the internet.

The Foo Fighters made an official announcement cancelling all upcoming shows stating, “It is with great sadness the Foo Fighters confirm the cancellation of all upcoming tour dates in light of the staggering loss of our brother, Taylor Hawkins.  We’re sorry for and share in the disappointment that we won’t be seeing one another as planned.  Instead, let’s take this time to grieve, to heal, to pull our loved ones close, and to appreciate all the music and memories we’ve made together.

Singer Ronnie Spector, who founded the girl group The Ronettes in 1961, has died after a brief battle with cancer. She was 78.

"Our beloved earth angel, Ronnie, peacefully left this world today," her family wrote on the singer's website Wednesday. "She was with family and in the arms of her husband, Jonathan. Ronnie lived her life with a twinkle in her eye, a spunky attitude, a wicked sense of humor and a smile on her face. She was filled with love and gratitude. Her joyful sound, playful nature and magical presence will live on in all who knew, heard or saw her."

Spector was born in Spanish Harlem. While still in her teens, she founded The Ronettes, which also featured her older sister Estelle Bennett and their cousin Nedra Talley. "Be My Baby," "Walking In The Rain," and "Do I Love You" were among the string of pop hits the girl group recorded.

Be My Baby – The Ronettes

"Harbourfront Centre is delighted to welcome BreakOut West as a Nordic Bridges programming partner,” says Iris Nemani, Chief Programming Officer at Harbourfront Centre & Executive Producer, Nordic Bridges. “As part of our year-long cultural exchange of arts and culture between Canada and the Nordic Region, we welcome BreakOut West’s expertise in showcasing and mentoring artists, both in Canada and internationally. We are thrilled to have BreakOut West help us reach into Western Canada, and build greater opportunities for both Nordic artists and their Canadian colleagues.”

Complementing the documentary release detailing The Beatles and their culturally groundbreaking time in India, Songs Inspired By The Film The Beatles And India.

Watch the Movie Trailer here:

The album features Beatles’ songs written during their stay in Rishikesh, India — including "Mother Nature’s Son,” “Revolution,” “Sexy Sadie,” “Dear Prudence,” “Child of Nature” — as well as songs from their incredible catalogue coloured by their earlier leanings to the magical sounds of India. The two-disc set also includes an all-original score written by award-winning composer Benji Merrison.

The Rolling Stones today release 40^th anniversary, expanded deluxe editions of their chart-topping, multi-platinum 1981 album Tattoo You via POLYDOR/INTERSCOPE/UMe.

Listen to Tattoo You (40^th Anniversary) here.

It’s official: headliners Heather Bambrick, the Lou Pomonti Trio, John Finley, Charu Suri, and more are set to dazzle audiences from both in-person and the comfort of their homes for the 8th Annual South Coast Jazz & Blues Hybrid Festival this October 15th, 16th & 17th!

Check out 2021 South Coast Jazz Festival Promo here:

With artist interviews hosted by Canadian media icon Dini Petty, and heralded by the Wall Street Journal in 2020 for their swift pivot online due to COVID-19 restrictions, the South Coast Jazz & Blues Festival is set to roll-tape once again this Fall for another exclusive, live-off-the-floor production — this time, straight from Brantford, Ontario’s Sanderson Centre.

Bravo Niagara! Festival of the Arts invites audiences to join them as Canadian treasures take centre stage this Fall and Winter as they announce their 2021 TD Jazz Series and Voices of Freedom Concert!

Laila Biali Trio
October 16th

Sultans Of String: Refuge & Sanctuary Double CD Release
Annual Voices of Freedom Concert
November 13th

Robi Botos Trio w/ Special Guest Joanna Majoko
November 19th

Pavlo: Home For The Holidays
December 16th

Molly Johnson: This Holiday Season

December 20thTaking place at St. Catharines’ FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, the five forthcoming events kick off with JUNO Award-winning singer/songwriter Laila Biali and her Trio this October 16th performing selections from her latest release Out of Dust.

From there, and within the series, multi-award winning and NY Times-charting Sultans of String will mark Bravo Niagara!’s Voices of Freedom Concert — an annual event dedicated to amplifying underrepresented voices and histories through the arts.

A mainstay in the Canadian business and entertainment sectors, The Commission Entertainment Corporation’s Founder and CEO Janathan Dharma continues to keep ‘mission’ front and centre with their newest venture, The Commission Studios.

An already full-service entertainment company, The Commission Studios translate the Corp’s innovative concept into brick-and-mortar territory; they offer an expansive selection as a dynamic marketing agency and global distribution channel — not to mention state-of-the-art space for on-site photoshoots, video production, and hosting podcasts.

The results are a vertically integrated solution providing one-stop value creation for emerging and seasoned artists, alike, Dharma shares, as well as a burgeoning mentorship program — something more important now than ever before.

Check out the Intro Video on THE COMMISSION HERE:

The CMAOntario Festival & Awards Weekend hosted three drive-in tailgate concerts at Ancaster Fairgrounds September 3-5, 2021 including the New Faces Showcase & Concert, the Legacy Revival, and the 9th Annual CMAOntario Awards, presented by Slaight Music, with support from Ontario Creates.

This is the third awards weekend I have attended and I have to say one of the best from all aspects. The growing pains are over and the CMAOntario organization is more than ready for primetime. The diversity and quality of the talent emerging in Ontario is a sign of how great and deep the talent pool is in this province. The weekend was hosted by two of the finest performers Ontario has to offer; established veterans Jason McCoy and Beverly Mahood, Canada's answer to Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood. The performances were first class with the uber- talented Western Swing Authority serving as the house band with special guest guitar whiz, Wendel Ferguson.