Canadian independent artists to perform at Lilla By Festivalen June 12-13, 2026 - in a landmark first for Canada-Sweden musical exchange

The inaugural North2North Competition named three extraordinary Canadian indie artists who will be heading to Sweden, to not only perform at featured showcase shows but to proudly represent Canada at a time when we are being recognized as a country with amazing musicians.

Canada’s Prime Minister, Mark Carney, states that Canada is the 3^rd largest exporter of music: www.youtube.com/shorts/ppP2s72e3Fs

Fresh Breath, Irish Millie, and Donita Large have each earned a spot in a Canadian landmark event, where they will perform on the main stage and in the beloved festival's very own Canada Barn, where our Canadian flag is flown with pride. This is the first time a competition of this kind has opened a direct performance pipeline between Canadian indie artists and one of Sweden's most warmly regarded independent festivals.

Inside The Rhythm of My Heart — memory, music, and freedom beyond rules

At Rosedale United Church Hall, the room was already holding its breath.

I was seated close to the piano—close enough to feel the wood resonate, to hear not just the notes but the air around them. The sound didn’t need to travel far; it simply unfolded. There was an intimacy in the room that felt almost conspiratorial, as if we had all been invited not to a performance, but to a remembering.

This was the world of Marc Jordan—not just the songs, but the space between them.

It is the same space he inhabits in The Rhythm of My Heart, a memoir that reads less like a chronology and more like a series of emotional coordinates. Moments gathered, examined, and—like his music—allowed to breathe.

Introducing Lucian Fhor Featuring Dirk Verbeuren, Tobias Kellgren, & Loic Colin

THE WHISPERING is a Los Angeles-based heavy metal unit led by newcomer, LUCIAN FHOR on vocals/guitar, with elite players LOIC COLIN on bass (Scarve/One Way Mirror), TOBIAS KELLGREN (Dissection), and DIRK VERBEUREN (Soilwork) on drums.

The band has released the THE WHISPERING – PART 1 EP with four of the ten titles from the forthcoming self-titled THE WHISPERING album out in the fall of 2026.

Check it out on YouTube here:

The Whispering (Official Music Video) - The Whispering

 As the crows fly, it’s a wild ride...

Check out the four new single releases Available on All Digital Platforms Now with the Birdsong New Music Foundation.

The four releases are:
Arif Jinha – I Am
Producer: Greg Kavanagh

Terry Witzu – Irregardless
Producer: Ted Adler

Nicole McCafferty and Armand Antony (Broadtree) – So Right It’s Wrong
Producer: Bryant Didier

Nick Jones vocals; Rachel Scully – Hope-Holding On
Producer: Bryant Didier

Available globally on all digital platforms today, Birdsong Music Foundation has announced four new releases. The first is I Am, from artist Arif Jinha from Ottawa, produced in Toronto by platinum award-winning producer Greg Kavanagh (who has now produced three Birdsong artists including Robert Priest and D. M Lafortune, both from Toronto). Three of our producers, who work so closely with our artists, and the composers, tell us why they feel this work is so very important.

2026 Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony presented by Amazon Music to take place at Massey Hall on September 26

The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame will induct The Tragically Hip, Loverboy songwriters Mike Reno and Paul Dean, Feist and Roch Voisine at Massey Hall on September 26, 2026, in a ceremony celebrating their enduring contributions to Canadian songwriting. The evening will feature never-before-seen performances and tributes from leading Canadian and global artists, offering fresh interpretations of songs that have defined generations while introducing them to new audiences. Additional performers and special guests will be announced.

The 2026 Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees are:

There are artists who make records. And then there are artists like Steve Poltz, who get tricked into making them and end up with something that sounds like a warm hug from a stranger at the end of a very long, very weird road trip.

That's JoyRide. And it is exactly what the title promises.

The story starts the way all the best ones do: two guys in East Nashville, living close enough that one of them just picks up the phone. Producer Dex Green, the kind of musical architect who's helped shape Grammy-nominated records for Shemekia Copeland, Elvis Costello, Margo Price, and Nicole Atkins, called Poltz up one morning and said, essentially, come on over. No grand plan. No concept album vision board. Just a home studio called 3Sirens and a standing invitation to make some noise.

Poltz, characteristically, almost didn't go.

Discoveries Vol. 10 with Host Jane Harbury

Hugh’s Room – 296 Broadview Avenue Toronto

Doors: 7pm Show: 8pm

Hamilton’s legendary recording studio announces five major initiatives — including a 50th Anniversary celebration, a JUNO partnership, the return of Road to Supercrawl, a museum exhibition, and the Grant Avenue Studio Presents concert series

HAMILTON, ON — Grant Avenue Studio, one of Canada’s most storied recording facilities, is entering its 50th year with a season that reflects everything the studio has always stood for: exceptional music, deep community roots, and an unwavering belief in the power of live performance and authentic artistry. From a landmark anniversary celebration to a national awards partnership, 2026 marks a milestone year for the Hamilton institution and the musicians and fans who have made it legendary.

The Canadian Blues Music Awards made history Monday night at The Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto, crowning the first-ever winners of Canada's new national blues recognition programme across 16 competitive categories. The inaugural gala brought together the finest performers in Canadian blues for a landmark celebration that was more than an awards show. It was a statement about the depth, diversity, and resilience of blues music in this country.

Canadian independent artists to perform at Lilla By Festivalen in Rinkaby, Sweden - June 12-13, 2026 - in a landmark first for Canada-Sweden musical exchange

CANADA/SWEDEN - The inaugural North2North: The Artist Gateway competition has named its winners - and three extraordinary Canadian indie artists are heading to Sweden. Fresh Breath, Irish Millie, and Donita Large have each earned a spot in a Canadian contingent travelling to Lilla By Festivalen in Rinkaby, Sweden on June 12 and 13, 2026, where they will perform on the main stage and in the beloved festival's very own Canada Barn, where our Canadian flag is flown with pride. This is the first time a competition of this kind has opened a direct performance pipeline between Canadian indie artists and one of Sweden's most warmly regarded independent festivals.

Terry Gomes has been making waves for a few years now with diversified releases and this new single 'Tego Agogo' does not disappoint.

Check out the new lyric video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiPKJ8CCwAE&feature=youtu.be

IS THAT SO WRONG? EP by Canadian Country artist, Nick Hedden, showcases his best songs to date and revisited by Veteran Producer Dan McConomy and mastered by Randy Merril (Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift) at Sterling Sound.

Listen to “Is That So Wrong? On Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/track/1s1aZJdtoLHwrtIquZAScq?si=92fc503a08fc4001

Final Production by the Late, Great Chris Tsangarides

With its first week at radio in North America, the MORE – Destructor album debuts at #2 Most Added on both the NACC HEAVY 30 and Metal Contraband Chart while entering the chart itself at MCC at #44, as the road to redemption for the band MORE continues. Bassist Baz Nicholls reflects. “It has been a long journey since the heady days of “Warhead“and “Blood and Thunder,” but the entity that is MORE lives on. There have been many trials to overcome along the way, including the passing of three band members. The turning point came when Chris Tsangarides joined the band, bringing a new sense of optimism and purpose. The magic Chris brought, with his wizardry recording skills and vision, is evident in this production, and MORE has maintained that same integrity to have it as heavy and crushing as he intended. MORE are proud to present Chris Tsangarides’ last work, “DESTRUCTOR”.

After a four-year hiatus from the airwaves, the visceral rock and roll force The Mandevilles has officially returned with their brand-new single, “Every Bit Of Violence”. Out now via Snareguy Records, the track marks a high-stakes evolution for the Welland-based outfit, blending the raw energy of rock and roll with a modern, alternative edge. Built on a foundation of grit and cinematic intensity, the single arrives as a powerful reminder of why founding partners Serena Pryne and Nick Lesyk have remained a cornerstone of the Canadian rock scene for over a decade.

The genesis of “Every Bit Of Violence” is as legendary as the sound itself; the song was quite literally written live on stage during a low-key afternoon gig. When an impromptu riff from Lesyk sparked an immediate vocal melody from Pryne, the band mapped out the structure of the track in real-time, capturing the lightning-in-a-bottle moment via phone recordings. This spirit of total spontaneity carried into the studio, where the band—rounded out by guitarist/synthesist Taylor Laslo—collaborated with mixer and co-producer Russ Donohue to refine a sound that Pryne describes as "magical" and "harmonious".

In 2016, Bara Jonson and Free submitted the song Appetite to Melodifestivalen in Kristianstad, Sweden.  It didn’t make the cut. The song was released later that year anyway and went on to live a life of its own.

Now, almost exactly ten years later, it’s time again. “Appetite ANNO X” is released the same weekend Melodifestivalen returns to Kristianstad. Sometimes life and timing are magical, and this is no exception with the latest release from BjF.

Canadian/International Singer/Recording Artist JC Sol brings her signature smooth, sultry style — with a fresh twist. Join her on a fun, flirtatious musical romp as she unveils an upbeat new take on ‘Pillow Talk,’ arriving just in time for Valentine’s Day.

Originally recorded by Sylvia Robinson in 1973, the song draws the listener into a playful, lighthearted dance with temptation—an invitation delivered with a wink and very little left to the imagination.
JC says: “I love reintroducing vintage cover songs that once resonated so strongly. They give audiences—both young and old, a chance to experience these classics in fresh ways. For some, it’s a wave of nostalgia…for others, it’s the thrill of hearing a timeless song for the very first time.”

Watch on YouTube here:

# 1 in Biographies of Pop Musicians on Amazon
Top 100 on Memoirs on Amazon

“It's All Coming Back to Me..." Offers an Intimate Look at the Songs, Collaborations, and Shared Dreams That Defined an Era in Music

Following a string of prestigious accolades, 19-year-old fiddler, singer, and multi-instrumentalist Irish Millie continues her remarkable ascent in the Canadian roots scene with the release of her latest single, "WASTED". This landmark track serves as a centerpiece of her acclaimed EP 'Between Then and Now', a project that captures the space between two chapters of life and the quiet realization of how much growth happens in the in-between.

www.youtube.com/@IrishMillieFiddleTunes

We caught up with Millie in her hometown of Peterborough, Ontario and this spirited ginger had a lot to share with Cashbox Canada. She is only 19 years old but is an old soul through and through and is passionate about music, life and family.

I asked about her eclectic tastes in music, choosing the classic Devil Went Down to Georgia by the Charlie Daniels Band and Zappa’s Directly From my Heart to You on her live show performances.

Lisa Hartt is Montreal-born, Canadian singer/songwriter and a Juno Nominee in the 70’s when she as the lead singer of The Lisa Hartt Band, which garnished her a hit single with ‘Old Time Movie’, which put her name into the Canadian music industry archives for eternity. She was awarded the Cashbox Legacy Award in 2023 at the Canadian Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden, while she was on tour there. 
Now Lisa Hartt is about to release her new heartfelt song dedicated to her “Best Friend”.

We caught up with Lisa Hartt at her home in Toronto, Canada.

"‘Best Friend’ began as a conversation I wasn’t yet ready to finish.”

Creative and Graphic Designs for Robert Priest:  Allen Booth

When speaking with poet and songwriter Robert Priest, you can’t help but think: wow — what a gentle, sweet, and interesting person, with an amazing head of hair. Over coffee, the kind words begin, the conversation shifts from light banter to the bizarre and the dark, and I sit back and listen — deeply intrigued by this poet’s mind as I jot down notes.

Often referred to as the People’s Poet, Priest’s body of work — fourteen books of poetry and eight CDs of music — beautifully captures the rainbow of emotions that comprise the human spirit. He has long had his share of admirers among the literati. Toronto Poet Laureate Lillian Allen, for instance, calls him “one of my favourite poets ever.”

“He is the people’s poet,” she says, “because he speaks to people about real-life situations and isn’t afraid to say what he feels. He is generous and has always supported other poets and artists, especially those who are breaking the rules.”