The everlasting prevalence of Folk Music

Folk music will never, ever die. Like the blues, folk is still so inseparable from British and American music because of how deeply embedded it is in the history of our cultures  — Jake Holzman, baeblemusic.com

Why have so many music festivals gone wrong this year?

From the Lord of the Flies vibe at Fyre, to the meltdowns at Hope & Glory and Y Not, music festivals feel more precarious than ever. Are the failures down to ‘acts of God’, or just bad leadership? —  Kyle MacNeill, The Guardian

Elvis Presley, 40 years after his death, remains an icon and a cautionary tale

Elvis was the proto-rock star, an inadvetertent revolutionary and a game-changing cultural phenomenon — George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune

Why do stars like Adele keep losing their voices

Is the problem down to the way they sing?  — Bernhard Warner, The Guardian

Restaurant music emerges from the background

Retailers and brands pay for customized playlists that give customers a reason to linger —  Cara Eisenpress, Crains New York

Local reggae king Exco Levi busy uplifting and uniting

Multiple Juno-winning performer is working hard to raise commercial profile of a genre that ‘plays in every continent' —  Nick Krewen, Toronto Star

Liam Gallagher, eternal fuckin’ shit-talker

The legendary frontman chats about his first ever solo record, his brother Noel, a potential Oasis reunion, Jay-Z, his inability to swim, and pretty much everything else you'd want him to address. He also says "fuckin'" over 100 times — Eve Barlow, Noisey

Despite legal limbo, Rodriguez keeps jamming

The resurrected star is fighting to reclaim ownership of his '70s albums — Alex Varty, Georgia Straight

Doc Walker pleased to start the party at the Boots and Hearts country festival

Canadian stalwarts like their place in the lineup and their place in the country-music game  — Toronto Star

Concert review: Coldplay has a lot to celebrate at Bell Centre

Shows don’t get much bigger than Tuesday’s — even after the sustained spectacle of last weekend’s Osheaga festival, the scope of this one was remarkable — but at the grandiose level at which Coldplay operates, they don’t get much more personal, either — Jordan Zivitz, Montreal Gazette

Big Valley Jamboree: Regulars upset as big changes afoot for 2018 festival

Plans for a complete main stage concert bowl overhaul will see a stage thrust into the middle of reserved and VIP seating — meaning many longtime fans are being shuffled around —  Juris Graney, Edmonton Journal

Classical jazz fusion on the Fringe

Toronto jazz pianist/composer Ron Davis performs at the noted Edinburgh festival — Herald Scotland

Hank Snow play recalls star

In My Wildest Dreams tells the story of a young girl meeting her idol. Marge Hemsworth’s new play premieres at Halifax’s Fringe Festival this month — Halifax Chronicle-Herald

Indigenous roots music finally gets its moment — and a party in Toronto

Box set rescues the likes of Willie Thrasher from obscurity and delivered them to a local stage earlier this week —  Ben Rayner, Toronto Star