Formerly a founding member of Great Big Sea, Sean McCann will release his fifth solo album, There's A Place, on Sept. 14, and he will perform at the Invictus Games Reception in Toronto next Monday. That is followed by concert dates across the country, ending with a Nov. 18 date at Hugh's Room Live in Toronto.

One highlight is sure to be his Nov. 10 show at Algonquin Commons Theatre in Ottawa, where he will be hosting a concert and songwriting circle in support of Guitars For Vets, a charity he passionately supports. Joining in the circle will be Sarah Harmer, Joel Plaskett, and Jeremy Fisher. Tour dates here

— Canadian Music Week (CMW) has announced that applications to perform at the 2018 CMW Festival are now open, with a closing deadline of Jan. 7.

All accepted bands will receive access to attend CMW's Music Summit 2018 (valued at $799 CAD) which gives access to panels and discussions as well as the mentor's café, where they can connect with industry experts from around the globe. Iif your band is not accepted to play, one member of the band will receive a pass to attend the CMW Music Summit. Info and application forms here

—The $125,000 Prix Goyer classical music award is described as the most lucrative in Canada for the genre. At a gala event in Montreal tonight (Sept. 13), it will be awarded to violinist Marc Djokic, a Halifax native. At the gala, Djokic will play the violin in a new nine-movement piece by composer Matthias Maute. He has had a major online impact this year with music videos on the Noncerto network that feature collaborations with other musicians from across Canada. Djokic's sister Denise is a Juno-nominated and internationally-acclaimed cellist.

The Prix Goyer award was created in honour of the late Jean-Pierre Goyer, a federal cabinet minister and chairman of the Conseil des arts de Montreal and the Orchestre Metropolitain. Winners are chosen in recognition of their diverse early career of musical collaborations with Canadian and international established artists.

— It looks like the Toronto run of Bat Out Of Hell The Musical is going to be a smash. It doesn't start at the Ed Mirvish Theatre until Oct. 14, but popular demand is so strong that the run has been extended for an extra three weeks, until Dec. 24. These tix go on sale Friday.

— Go-getter independent label Six Shooter Records is  out in full force at AmericanaFest in Nashville this week with artists Sam Outlaw, Whitney Rose and The Deep Dark Woods. Sam Outlaw is nominated for Emerging Artist of the Year, and will be performing at the Americana Honors & Awards ceremony at the Ryman, while Rose and The Deep Dark Woods both have multiple showcase appearances in Music City. All three artists will perform, at the now legendary annual Outlaws and Gunslingers luncheon. hosted by Six Shooter, Starfish Entertainment and Wide Open Country. The fun is on tomorrow (Sept. 14) from noon to 2 pm.

— 17-year-old singer/songwriter Faouzia, from Carman, MB,  has won the overall Grand Prize in the international 2017 Unsigned Only competition, and was also the first-place winner in the Teen category, both for her song "Knock on my Door."

Other first-place winners in the competition include Jordan St. Cyr, of Niverville, MB, who won in the Christian designation for "In My Lifetime"; Big Little Lions, from Royston, BC, who took the top prize in the Screenshot category, for "In the Quieter Times," and Benjamin Dakota Rogers, of Brantford, ON, who carried the day in the Triple Play: Get Exposed Online (Special Promotion) field, for "The Soldier Song." For a complete list of winners and to hear the winning songs, click here 

—Ian Janes, the highly regarded Halifax-based singer/guitarist/songwriter, performs at the Dakota Tavern in Toronto tomorrow (Sept. 14), as part of the very popular '4 Chords & The Truth' singer/songwriter night. The hit TV show Nashville closed the recent Season 5 with Ian's co-write "I Can't Remember Never Loving You" which vaulted into the U.S Top 50 iTunes chart the week after the show's airing, as recorded by the shows two stars -  Connie 'Rayna' Britton and Charles 'Deacon' Esten. The track has since become one of the most streamed tracks and downloads from Big Machine's Series 5 soundtrack.

—To be held Oct. 20-29, the Stratford Writers Festival will include a musical component this year. It takes the form of a Songwriters Circle, featuring area residents Ron Sexsmith (a new arrival to town), Emm Gryner, Dayna Manning, and Jason Barry. More info here