Now in its 15th year, Indie Week Canada (IWCAN) is one of Canada’s top emerging artist festivals hosting 300+ artists, 25+ venues in 6 days. Indie Week puts industry and artists together, acts have made connections and have built new business furthering their career. Along with artist showcases, Indie Week hosts the Indie101 Music + Tech Conference with industry leaders and over 80 speakers – artists have the opportunity to participate in mentorship, classroom and 1-on-1 sessions along with the regular industry panels. Indie Week is a great launch pad for artists wanting to enter into the North American and Canadian markets and make the connections that can help take your band to the next level.

Indie Week Canada has become one of Canada’s premiere indie music festivals showcasing 300+ acts from all over the world in front of music industry professionals.

Indie Week offers 6 nights of showcases, late last call after parties serving until 4am, 25+ venues, music industry panels, industry mixers, demo listening sessions, mentorships, sponsored stages and more.

On March 9th, Stax Records will release Tearing at the Seams, the highly anticipated new album from Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats. Tearing at the Seams follows the band’s critically and commercially lauded, self-titled debut album, which is certified Gold in the U.S., Belgium, Switzerland and the Netherlands, Platinum in Canada, and Silver in the U.K.

You Worry Me, the lead single from the new album, has premiered worldwide today, In addition to the 12-track standard edition, Tearing at the Seams will be available in a 14-track deluxe edition that features two bonus tracks and exclusive photos. Vinyl editions include the (2-disc, 180gram) 12-track standard edition and the (2-disc, 180gram) 14-track deluxe edition, which features an exclusive photo book and special 7” single. Initial writing and recording sessions for Tearing at the Seams took place in Rodeo, New Mexico, where Rateliff & The Night Sweats re-established their dynamic off the stage and in the studio.

On the heels of a transformative and ultra-productive 2017 (releasing five studio albums) Melbourne's King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard will return to the U.S. and Canada this spring for a major cross-country tour hitting nineteen cities including Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. The band will play their largest venues to date such as LA's Hollywood Palladium, San Francisco's Warfield Theatre, and NYC's Brooklyn Steel.

As promised at the beginning of the year, King Gizzard successfully released an unprecedented five studio albums in 2017 with the release of Gumboot Soup arriving this past New Year's Eve. 2017's other previous four records - February's Flying Microtonal Banana, June's Murder of the Universe, August's Sketches of Brunswick East and November's Polygondwanaland - have all received critical acclaim and contributed to a whirlwind year for the band. Some benchmarks include their first Coachella performance, their worldwide TV debut on Conan and headlining sold-out shows at landmark venues including two nights at Chicago's Lincoln Hall, two nights at New York City's Webster Hall and San Francisco's The Fillmore.

Marlene (Joan) Palmer, who worked with some of the biggest names of Canadian music, died of ovarian cancer on Saturday, December 30th, at the Victoria Hospice in Victoria, British Columbia, according to husband Phillip Hurst.

She was 62.

Unfailingly cheerful, a valued colleague, friend and confidant to all, Palmer was a much sought-after publicist and a tenacious advocate for her clients. She had an incisive wit, great creative instincts, and came from a PR tradition that the media was to be treated with respect.

At one time or another during her nearly four-decade publicity career, her client list included: Anne Murray, Bryan Adams, Loverboy, Rita MacNeil, The Rankin Family, Steve Smith (aka Red Green), Tommy Hunter, Frank Mills, and George Fox.

She also oversaw the national media surrounding the historic “Tears Are Not Enough,” the all-star charity single recorded in 1985 by leading Canadian artists, under the name Northern Lights, raising funds for the relief of the famine in Ethiopia.

Nashville’s own alt-rock-five-piece band, Moon Taxi, has released their new song, Good As Gold off their highly anticipated fifth studio album, Let The Record Play, which is set for release on January 19th via RCA Records. The feel-good anthem will have everyone ready to dance for days with its use of upbeat horns and keys. The band also released a lyric video for the track. Click here to listen/buy/watch.

Good As Gold, as well as Let The Record Play, and single, Two High, are available as instant-grat tracks when fans pre-order the upcoming album. Pre-order is available at all digital retailers here. Good As Gold, the most recent instant-grat track, has already become a fan favorite with over 1.5 million streams on Spotify in less than a month, available here.

“Good as Gold is a song about empowerment. It’s about reaching that moment, that place where all your hard work pays off. It’s no coincidence that we wrote it as the Nashville Predators were fighting for the Stanley Cup last season. Team colors inspired the lyrics for sure,” says Wes Bailey (keyboardist).

Ottawa has a best kept secret that is about to be a well known fact. Tribe Royal, with their sophomore album “Colours of the Sun’, are a breath of fresh air in the indie market.

On Saturday, February 10, 2018 Tribe Royal will be hitting the stage at the Babylon Nightclub, along with their special guests LUX. Tickets are only $10 to see two smoking hot bands.

Tribe Royal garnered attention last year with their release of their first single, “Wasting Time” and the again when they performed for the RBC Bluesfest with Sam Roberts.

Tribe Royal consists of Terry O’Brien, voice and guitar, Chris Kerwin, voice and guitar, bassist and vocalist Bram Al-Najjar and drummer Mike Giamberardino. 

In O’Brien’s words, “I love playing 60s-style pop songs that are done in under two minutes but I also love longer, jammier deep-feel stuff. With us, it really is a balance trying to get everything in there without compromise.”

Fresh off the success of the critically acclaimed album,Wu-Tang: The Saga Continues, 36 Chambers ALC has released a remix to the original track, Hood Go Bang, which now features Redman, Method Man, Raekwon, Mathematics, and U-God. The Saga Continues is now a complete project highlighting every member of Wu on the Mathematics-helmed album, with the final addition of U-God's distinct vocals on the track. Get this remixed banger today on all major streaming platforms .

Previously, a music video for the track, People Say , was released via Complex.com. Watch the video here .

36 Chambers ALC is a lifestyle company founded by RZA and Mustafa Shaikh to house innovative efforts in the music, art, fashion, and literary spaces. The highly successful Wu-Tang: The Saga Continues was the company's inaugural musical release.

Sony Music proudly announced the release of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), featuring music by Henry Jackman. The soundtrack to the new film by Jake Kasdan was released on December 15th. The film will be released in Canada and the US on December 20th, 2017.

France is bidding farewell to its biggest rock star, honoring Johnny Hallyday with an exceptional funeral procession down the Champs-Elysees, a presidential speech and a parade of motorcyclists -- all under intense security.

Few figures in French history have earned a send-off as elaborate as the one Saturday for the man sometimes dubbed the French Elvis. It was ordered by President Emmanuel Macron -- a Hallyday fan himself, like generations of others across the French-speaking world.

Hallyday's death Wednesday at age 74 after fighting lung cancer unleashed emotion across the country, where the man known to the public simply as Johnny had been an icon for more than half a century.

Johnny HalladayFans chanting "Johnny! Johnny!" massed in Paris as the funeral cortege headed past his home in a Paris suburb near Versailles to Napoleon's Arc de Triomphe monument. The procession will then head down the Champs-Elysees, through the Place de la Concorde plaza on the Seine River, and then to the columned Madeleine Church.

The Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA) has announced the recipients of and nominees for the third annual CIMA Celebration & Awards Gala, taking place on Monday, June 12, 2017 at Toronto's Glass Factory. This year's recipients will be recognized for their incredible contributions to independent music. Performers for the Gala and Awards Celebration will be announced in the coming weeks.
"We are thrilled to return for our third year to celebrate those who create, support and strengthen Canadian independent music," said Stuart Johnston, President, CIMA. "We are pleased to recognize this year's recipients for their impressive contributions to the Canadian music industry."

2017 Award Recipients

Stony Plain Records announces the signing of acclaimed roots guitarist/singer Sue Foley and will release her label debut CD, The Ice Queen, on March 2, 2018.

Produced by Mike Flanigin, who also plays organ on the new disc, The Ice Queen was recorded at Firestation Studios in San Marcos, Texas. Joining Sue Foley as special guests is a trio of legendary Texas guitarslingers – Jimmie Vaughan, Z.Z.Top’s Billy F Gibbons and Charlie Sexton - as well as a host of other Lone Star State all-stars, including Chris “Whipper” Layton (formerly of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble) and George Rains (drums), Derek O’Brien (guitar), Chris Maresh and Billy Horton (bass) and The Texas Horns: John Mills, Al Gomez, Jimmy Shortell, Randy Zimmerman and Mark “Kaz” Kazanoff.

“I’m extremely excited to be working with Holger Petersen and Stony Plain Records,” Sue Foley says about the new CD. “Holger is one of the most knowledgeable ‘real music’ people in the business. Stony Plain is known to put out great music and I know The Ice Queen has found her home.”

THE 16TH ANNUAL WINTERFOLK BLUES AND ROOTS FESTIVALis when some of the finest folk, roots and blues artists will take the stage at Toronto’s Black Swan Tavern on Saturday, December 9th. Doors open at 7:30 pm and music starts at 8:00 pm for this event to benefit Winterfolk. Artists will include The Achromatics, David Storey, Tony Quarrington, Brian Gladstone, Piper Hayes w/ Carson Ritcey-Thorpe, The Mini-Clan Hannigan and more. There will also be an open mic for anyone who would like to add a tune or two.

WHO: The Achromatics, David Storey, Tony Quarrington, Brian Gladstone, Piper Hayes w/ Carson Ritcey-Thorpe, The Mini-Clan Hannigan and more
WHAT: Winterfolk XVI Preview & Benefit + Birthday Bash WHERE: The Black Swan Tavern, 154 Danforth Avenue, Toronto, ON 416-469-0537
WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 9th – Doors 7:30 pm / Music 8:00
TICKETS: $10 minimum donation @door

So much has been said in the last week of David Cassidy – tv anchorwomen and female radio announcers as well as fans all saying things like ‘he was my first crush’,’I had his poster on my wall all through High School’, ‘he was so cute and had such a great smile and amazing hair’.

And then the battle with addictions, as well as his ongoing development of dementia, a disease that took his beloved mother from him.

But the story that needs to be told is what an amazing performer he became as he aged, being a strong businessman, producer, writer and director. Here are some highlights of the pretty boy from The Partridge Family’s outstanding career.

David Cassidy had managed to stay at the top of his game for over four decades, with a unique ability to re-invent himself and adapt to numerous genres from concerts to theatre, television to Las Vegas, and even actor/singer to producer/writer/director with a demographic that crosses three generations. David rose to stardom in “The Partridge Family” and became the biggest TV and performing phenomenon in history by the time he was 20.

Mel Tillis, country music singer and songwriter, has died, the Country Music Hall of Fame confirmed in a statement. He was 85.

According to the Tennessean, Tillis died early Sunday morning at the Munroe Regional Medical Center in Ocala, Fla. after almost two years of ill health stemming from a bout of diverticulitis, for which he received surgery. The suspected cause of death is respiratory failure.

Tillis began recording in the late 1950s and continued to perform through 2015, but remained best known for a string of No. 1 country hits in the late ’70s, along with a succession of appearances in Hollywood movies alongside Burt Reynolds and Clint Eastwood that helped make him a household name even outside the country music sphere.

“Mel Tillis spent a lifetime giving us joy and laughter and music, which is why his death brings such sadness,” said Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum CEO Kyle Young. “Had he never stepped on a stage, he would still have been one of the funniest and most genuine people on the planet.”

A Tribe Called Red has released a new video featuring Lido Pimienta. Filmed in Santiago, Chile, the video stars and was directed by Pimienta, who set out to “collaborate with artists in Chile who navigate their reality in the spirit of what The Halluci Nation represents – a way of life motivated by resistance and love”. The video – which was produced by Porch productions in Toronto and Somos Patria in Santiago – follows Pimienta’s character as she is mistaken for a maid by a bourgeois family in Santiago, then turns to a celebration within an artistic community.

Pimienta continues, "The people featured in the video are not actors, they are real Chilean artists, creatives and activists working in Santiago and elsewhere in Chile right now, in similar ways as ATCR in Canada. I set out to showcase how settler colonialism is in fact way more nuanced and complex by challenging these assumptions and preconceptions of how Indigenous people ought to be.”

Robert Knight has sadly passed away at the age of 72.

The legendary singer was known world-wide for his hit song “Everlasting Love.”
Robert Knight, who recorded the first version of ‘Everlasting Love’, one of the biggest songs to come out of Nashville, died Sunday, November 5, 2017 after a short illness.

He was born Robert Peebles in Franklin on April 24, 1945.

As young man, he was a member of the Fairlanes and sang lead for the Paramounts before becoming a solo artist.

In 1967, while performing during a fraternity party at Vanderbilt University, Mac Gayden heard "this voice coming from the Kappa Sigma House." He ran over there and met Knight as he was coming off the stage. "He didn't want to talk to me, but I gave him my card," Gayden remembered. Gayden introduced Knight to Buzz Cason, who signed Knight to Rising Sons Music, and they began working on an album.

Cason and Gayden had written a song called ‘The Weeper’, which they thought would be Knight's breakout hit. But then he cut another Cason/Gayden composition: ‘Everlasting Love’. It was, Gayden said, the last song cut during the session, "kind of like a throwaway tune."

The 51st CMA Awards were held on November 8, 2017, with a spectacular show at the Bridgestone Arena in downtown Nashville.It was an emotional show allowing the songs and artists to use the powerful genre to focus on unifying the country through country music during a year rampant with gun violence, hurricanes, floods and a divisive political climate.

Garth Brooks took home the night's top honor of Entertainer of the Year for the sixth time in his career although it was not without controversy as Brooks admitted post-show to lip-synching his performance due to a bad throat. Brooks explained, "We made a game-time call on whether to sing to a track or lip-sync. And we decided to lip-sync it. My voice just isn't going anywhere and we wanted to represent country music the best we can." Brooks won out over Chris Stapleton, Keith Urban, Luke Bryan and Eric Church. Brothers Osborne and Chris Stapleton were the night's most-awarded performers, with two wins each.

Submitted to Cashbox Canada
 

The Rubens return with new single, Million Man (via Ivy League Records) – a soulful, groove-fuelled track, that follows on where their now certified platinum, #1 triple j’s hottest 100 single, Hoops, left off.

The story of Million Man begins at 2013’s Laneway Music Festival, where The Rubens befriended NYC rapper, EL-P (Run The Jewels) and his band, which included his Run The Jewels producers/collaborators, brothers, Wilder Zoby and Little Shalimar (aka Torbitt Schwartz).

After a few nights spent drinking in New York at a bar that Torbitt and Wilder co-owned, it seemed their effortless friendship could lead to a pretty interesting musical collaboration.

2017 and those musings became reality when both producers flew out from the bustling streets of New York City to the band’s newly created recording studio, housed in a World War II communications bunker in the outskirts of Camden in Sydney’s deep South West.

Funk Legend of the hit song ‘Boogie Nights’ passed away on October 29, 2017, at the age of 68. The unconfirmed cause of death was a massive heart attack.

Keith Edward Wilder was a vocalist for the legendary funk band Heatwave. Formed in 1975 by Wilder’s brother Johnnie Wilder, Jr., Heatwave hits included "Boogie Nights," "Always and Forever" and "The Groove Line."It was 40 years ago at this time that Heat Wave was climbing to #2 on the pop chart with this disco-dance smash.

In London during the mid-1970’s Johnnie Wilder, Jr. and Rod Temperton (both who have passed away 2006 and 2016 respectively) with several other musicians including Keith came together and created music history. The group has changed musician members over the years. Napoleon Eugene Phillips, Elliot Levine, Keith Busey, Geno Myers, Nathan Watson, Ignatius Mason, Byron Byrd, Donavan Blackwood and my longtime friend ElWarren Weatherspoon (World-Class Drummer) affectionately known in the industry as “Spoon”.

Antione “Fats” Domino, one of the most influential rock and roll performers of the 1950s and 60s, has died at the age of 89.

He was best known for his songs ‘Ain't That A Shame’, ‘I’m Walkin’ and ‘Blueberry Hill’ and sold more than 65 million records, outselling every 1950’s rock and roll acts with the exception of  Elvis Presley. Elvis Presley once referred to Fats Domino as "the real king of rock n roll" and Paul McCartney reportedly wrote the Beatles song ‘Lady Madonna’ in Fats’ style of piano playing. He was one of the first rhythm and blues artists to gain popularity with a white audience and his music was most prolific in the 1950s.

Domino had 11 US Top 10 hits and his music was a big influence on artists during the 1960s and 70s.

He was one of the first inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, but by then he would no longer leave New Orleans, not even to accept the award.

Fellow New Orleans-born musician and actor Harry Connick Jr. paid tribute to Domino on Twitter, saying he had "helped pave the way for New Orleans piano players".