By Kerry Doole
Let it be: Inside a Canadian music empire built on selling rock 'n' roll nostalgia note for note
Think of it as a symphony for rockers — and 20 years on, it has become a staple at concert halls across the country. – Joe O'Connor, Financial Post
Before you judge ‘moccasin gaze’ music, walk a mile in Daniel Monkman’s shoes
Anishinaabe musician Daniel Monkman created the genre 'moccasin gaze,' which introduces First Nations drums to gauzy, distorted shoegaze rock. – Brad Wheeler, Globe and Mail
Adam Baldwin’s newest record is his biggest hit. Here’s why he almost didn’t write it.
The singer-songwriter played two hometown Halifax shows last week as part of an almost-sold-out tour. – Morgan Mullin, The Coast
Celeb bidding war: Snoop Dogg vs Ryan Reynolds & The Weeknd fight for NHL franchise
The Ottawa Senators are up for grabs, with bids coming in at 1 billion dollars. – MARCA
The Weeknd teams up with Mike Dean for four new songs
Abel Tesfaye also served as executive producer on Dean’s new album ‘4:23’. – Ali Shutler, NME
Bryan Adams shows why he’s a superstar at the grand opening of Pickering Casino Resort
For his encore-free, 90-minute set, the 63-year-old Canadian did not disappoint, delivering hit after hit after hit after hit. – Nick Krewen, Toronto Star
This $9M ‘70s style Mississauga mansion inspired by nature reportedly hosted the Rolling Stones
The home listed for $8.9 million at 2350 Doulton Drive was built in the mid-1970s by the late Montreal architect Fred Roman. – Marissa Birnie, Hamilton Spectator
Zoon release a reverb-y album ‘Bekka Ma’iingan,’ plus new music from Pantayo, PJ Harvey and more
Start your weekend with a curated playlist of new music from across Canada and beyond, including cuts from Daniel Monkman’s acclaimed “moccasin-gaze” project. – Richie Assaly, Toronto Star
Maggie is a tuneful tribute to country star Johnny Reid’s Scottish granny, but loses the plot
Maggie, a new musical currently having its world premiere at Hamilton’s Theatre Aquarius with backing from producer Michael Rubinoff (Come from Away), is a splendid showcase of Johnny Reid’s songwriting skills. But it has a number of problems in its decades-spanning plot that need to be solved if it hopes to spread far beyond Reid’s fanbase. – JK Nestruck, Globe and Mail
Meet a retired teacher and a broadcast technician who have performed in some major COC productions
Bruce Jakacki and Nancy Mellow are COC supernumeraries, amateur actors who appear as extras to fill out crowded scenes. – Joshua Chong, Toronto Star
Witch Prophet sees the future
The Toronto neo-soul singer opens up about lucid dreams and the love that grounds her. “If I came out with an album like this five years ago, it would probably be a little too witchy,” says Ayo Leilani. “Now it’s a lot less scary to talk about.” – Richie Assaly, Toronto Star
Grimes: “Copyright sucks – art is a conversation with everyone that’s come before us”
"The music industry has been defined by lawyers, and that strangles creativity." – Emma Wilkes, NME
International
Sony generated $2.18bn from recorded music plus music publishing in calendar Q1, up 9.7% YoY
Sony's global music rights operation – across recorded music and music publishing – generated USD $2.181 billion in the three months to end of March 2023. That's according to MBW's calculations based on Sony Group Corp's calendar Q1 2023 (fiscal Q4 2022) results, as announced by the Japanese firm April 28. – MBW
Study finds 50 per cent of vinyl buyers in US don’t have a record player
It appears that "superfans" with a completist mindset are driving the trend. – Charlotte Krol, NME
How the streaming era turned music into sludge
The launch of the iTunes Store 20 years ago laid the groundwork for platforms to transform songs into generic background noise. – Morgan Meaker, Wired
Willie Nelson hosts 90th birthday concerts at The Hollywood Bowl
A star-studded cast representing many genres paid tribute, but Willie and Trigger stole the show. – LA Times
Voice and Hammer: Harry Belafonte's unfinished fight. An interview from the archives
Once, more than half a century ago, he was the handsomest man in the world. A radiant man. It was a matter of bearing, of voice and gesture and timing. He had that high, buttery baritone, and that smile, the genuine pleasure that seemed to roll off the so-called King of Calypso in soft little waves. – Jeff Sharlet, VQRonline
‘I was decadent, I was stupid, I was a fool’: the dark days of Donna Summer
In public she oozed glamour, but in private the disco star battled depression, self-loathing and suicidal thoughts. Her daughter speaks about the film she made to understand Summer’s silent struggle. – DD Wray, The Guardian
Want to keep track of AI-created music? There’s a playlist for that
Now that the AI genie is out of the bottle, hundreds, maybe thousands of people are using the technology to create deepfake songs. A site called AI Hits is keeping track of things. There were only 39 such songs this week, but you know that’s going to explode. – Alan Cross, Journal of Musical Things
The Lost Album of the Beatles review – deeply researched what-ifs
Daniel Rachel imagines what the next Beatles album might have been like, with painstaking detail and great stories. – David Hepworth, The Guardian
Ed Sheeran performs brief concert on witness stand during copyright trial in NYC
“I'm singing out loud,” he sang, loud enough to be heard but not raising decibels in the court. – Larry Neumeister,The Associated Press
Woman has ‘loud and full body orgasm’ during LA Philharmonic concert
The ground really moved for one woman during the second movement of the LA Philharmonic’s performance of Tchaikovsky’s 5th Symphony — when she experienced a “loud and full body orgasm.” Several concertgoers described the woman’s climactic moment Friday from the balcony at the packed Walt Disney Concert Hall. – New York Post
Smokey Robinson turns seductive with new album ‘Gasms’
When Smokey Robinson started dating his-now wife more than 20 years ago, she didn’t want people to know about it. – Mark Kennedy, AP
Piano fever sweeps UK as online lessons and street instruments fuel take-up
Outdoor pianos, celebrity names and free tuition videos combine to get Britons tickling the ivories once more.– The Guardian
Q&A: 6lack returns to music after prioritizing mental health
6lack was on a hot streak, dishing out Grammy-worthy work and being featured on songs with music’s elite including Elton John, Calvin Harris and J Cole. But while the singer-rapper was riding high, he neglected one important element: His mental health. – Jonathan Landrum Jr., AP
Bebe Rexha ignites a ‘70s disco inferno with album ‘Bebe’
Bebe Rexha’s eyes welled with tears after hearing Dolly Parton on her song “Seasons” for the first time. Recruiting the music icon for the record, which Rexha initially thought was a “shot in the dark,” was now reality. – Gary Gerard Hamilton, AP
Aerosmith announce final tour
The classic rock band’s farewell tour begins in September 2023. – Pitchfork
