In this week's compendium of Canadian music industry news: Four Chords & The Truth fundraises for Unison Fund's new Natural Disaster Relief Program, Montreal country festival LASSO announces lineup, and much more.
The 28th Opus Awards Gala was held at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts’ Bourgie Hall on Feb. 2. The event celebrated the musical achievements of Québec’s concert music community for the 2023–2024 artistic season, honouring 32 winners.
Nine Opus Awards were accompanied by a prize in cash or services. The Hommage award was presented to Michel Levasseur, founder and executive and artistic director of the Festival international de musique actuelle de Victoriaville (FIMAV). Notable names on the winners list included Marianne Trudel, Alain Bédard, Orchestre Métropolitain, Molinari Quartet, Bon Débarras and Hugo Blouin. Check the full list here.
– Country-themed fest LASSO Montrealhas announced the lineup for its 2025 edition, taking place on August 15-16 at Parc Jean-Drapeau on Montreal's Île Sainte-Hélène and preceded by LASSO in the City on August 14. Joining the previously announced headliners Bailey Zimmerman and Jelly Roll are popular rocker Sheryl Crow (a 9x Grammy winner), current chart-topping sensation Shaboozey, Alabama country hitmaker Riley Green and storyteller Tucker Wetmore. Canadian content includes bluegrass stars The Dead South, fast-rising stars Cameron Whitcomb, Teigen Gayse and Sacha, Madeline Merlo and the Quebec Redneck Bluegrass Project. More info here.
– The full lineup for the 2nd edition of Our Music Festival, held on Friday, March 7, at the Great Hall in Toronto, has been announced. The impressive list comprises Kinnie Starr, CJ Wiley, Irene Torres, Semiah, Lala Noel, R. Flex, Cris Derksen and Sarah MacDougall plus Honey Jam alumni, Kiza and Earth 2 Tiffany. The host is artistic director and festival founder Andrea Ramolo, who launched the event to help address the gender disparity issue within the music industry. Tickets here.
– Coldplay frontman Chris Martin has been added to the lineup for the opening ceremonies of the 2025 Invictus Games in Vancouver. Games organizers recently announced Friday that the English vocalist will perform at B.C. Place Stadium on Feb. 8, joining a star-studded lineup that includes Katy Perry, Noah Kahan and Nelly Furtado.
Martin has been involved with the Games since they were founded by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, in 2014, and composed the Invictus Anthem, used in the medal ceremonies at every Games. Up to 550 athletes from 23 nations will compete at the Games in Vancouver and Whistler from Feb. 8-16.
– It's a hit! The just released feature film documentaryBlue Rodeo: Lost Together has begun screening across the country and a sold out response has already earned it the status of No. 1 Canadian film at the box office. A celebration of the 40-year-long career of Blue Rodeo, Canada's leading roots-rockers, it is directed by Dale Heslip, produced by Cream Productions in association with documentary Channel and distributed by Blue Ice Docs. The doc premiered at the Whistler Film Festival, earning the Audience Award, and its theatrical run began last weekend at Hot Docs Cinema in Toronto, followed by a limited rollout to Cineplex Cinemas nationwide, February 2 and 3. It begins streaming on CBC Gem starting February 19.
– The popular singer-songwriter series Four Chords And The Truth returns to TD Hall (inside Massey Hall) in Toronto on Feb. 10. This edition has a special focus, as 100% of all funds raised will go to Fire Relief for Canadian Music Workers in L.A. through Unison Fund's new Natural Disaster Relief Program. The full lineup is TBA. Ticket info here
– 40 years as a performing arts company is a milestone worth celebrating, and Toronto's Opera Atelier plans to do just that. They just announced two major upcoming productions, Mozart’s The Magic Flute, coming to the Elgin Theatre October 15, 16, 18 and 19, 2025, and the Canadian premiere of Debussy’s surrealist opera, Pelléas et Mélisande, on stage April 15, 16, 18 and 19, 2026 at Koerner Hall. More info here
– Fast-emerging singer-songwriter Bells Larsen recently signed to top indie label Royal Mountain Records (Wolf Parade, Mac DeMarco, Hollerado) and will release a new album, Blurring Time, on April 25. He will support it with dates throughout May and June in Canada and the U.S., starting with a record release show at The Great Hall in Toronto on May 1. Tickets for all shows are available now here. Here's his new single.
– An international cult hero as leader of proto-punk outfit Simply Saucer (still a going concern), Hamiltonian Edgar Breau maintains a healthy solo career. His new album, Acadian Drifter, came out last week and was launched last Saturday with a sold-out hometown matinee show at The Capitol. First solo and then accompanied by Simply Saucer bassist Kevin Christoff and drummer Paul Panchezak, Breau premiered his new material alongside favourites from both his solo and Simply Saucer catalogues. As ever, Breau impressed with his stylistic range (from Anglo-style folk to blues to guitar-driven psychedelia) and literate material. No surprise to see fellow local musicians Champagne James Robertson, Martin Verrall (who opened), Darryl Gould, Mickey DeSadist, Pip Kummel and Scott McCullough in the audience. Check out this killer new cut, "Cornpone the King of Jive."
– Hard-working and acclaimed Toronto roots songsmith Julian Taylor headlines an Acoustic Harvest concert on Feb. 15 at St Paul's United Church, 200 McIntosh St. Scarborough, ON. Joining Taylor in what is billed as An Intimate Evening of Songs and Stories with Friends are Robert Priest, Rosanne Baker Thornley, and Tyler Ellis, with an opening performance by Quote the Raven. Tickets here
In partnership with Zula Presents Something Else!, the Hamilton Public Library presents a Celebration of Thelonious Monk and His Music at the Central Library on Feb. 8 (noon-4p.m.) The free event features a screening of the Clint Eastwood-produced documentary Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser and live performances by New York soprano saxophonist and composer Sam Newsome and Hamilton-Toronto-based jazz duo Daniel Fortin (double bass) and Michael Davidson (vibraphone).
Metric
Also in the news this week: Joel Plaskett is surprised with a tribute album, Green Day makes a statement at Coachella, AI copyright fears & more.
Trans artists Bells Larsen and T. Thomason are pulling out of U.S. tour dates because of border fears, and the issue is grabbing attention on both sides of the border. That story has grabbed headlines this week, as have Coachella performances, AI backlash and an HYBE crackdown on deepfakes in South Korea resulting in multiple arrests.
Read about those stories and more in our weekly roundup below:
Metric Backs Out of Tour, Citing ‘Sudden Production Decisions' from Team of Co-Headliner Bloc Party
Canadian band Metric has announced on social media that it is backing out of an upcoming tour with English band Bloc Party, but will still play a hometown show with Sam Roberts Band in place. – Canadian Press
Trans Musicians Are Cancelling U.S. Tour Dates Due To Trump's Gender ID Rules
Canadian trans artists are cancelling because of Trump's crackdown on immigration at the border. – Manisha Krishnan, Wired
Toronto Musicians Share Their Favourite Memories From the Dakota Tavern: ‘It Was Like Our Version of a Sunday Service’
Jason Collett, Ed Robertson, Charlotte Cornfield and more on nearly 20 years at the Dakota: “The first Toronto venue where I felt the true magic of time and place.” – Richie Assaly, Toronto Star
45th Montreal International Jazz Festival boasts ‘a modern twist’
With the Montreal International Jazz Festival turning 45 this year, programming director Maurin Auxéméry likes to joke that the city’s emblematic summer event is having its mid-life crisis. The city’s flagship festival presents more than 350 shows — from June 26 to July 5. –T’Cha Dunlevy, Montreal Gazette
Canadian Folk and Rock Stars Surprise Joel Plaskett With Tribute Album 'Songs From The Gang'
Arkells, Alan Doyle, Sloan, City and Colour, Jenn Grant, Julian Taylor and many more are putting their spin on the east coast songwriter's vast body of work. – Rosie Long Decter, Billboard Canada
Opera Atelier Co-founders Celebrate 40 years, Onstage and Off
Opera Atelier’s upcoming presentation of baroque masterpiece David and Jonathan at Toronto’s Koerner Hall is cause enough for celebration. The 40th anniversary of the company, co-founded by married joint artistic directors Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg and Marshall Pynkoski is another. – Brad Wheeler, Globe & Mail
After a Harrowing Spiral Into Darkness, Toronto Singer Cold Specks Returns with Breathtaking Comeback Album
Released nearly eight years after mental illness derailed her career, “Light for the Midnight” is a stripped-back soul record that sublimates pain into breathtaking beauty. – Richie Assaly, Toronto Star
Liberal Leader Mark Carney Nails his Nardwuar the Human Serviette Interview
If Nardwuar the Human Serviette truly is, as a wise person once suggested, the “litmus test for humanity”, then Mark Carney just passed with a gold-standard showing. – Mike Usinger, Georgia Straight
Stratford Festival Gears Up for New Season Amid Succession Questions
As this year’s Stratford Festival inches closer, two crucial questions are circling: Who will take the top job in Canadian theatre when current artistic Antoni Cimolino steps down at the end of the 2026 season? And what sort of festival will they inherit when they start? – Aisling Murphy, Globe & Mail
Canadian Rock Veterans Headstones Sign To Dine Alone, Release New Single with City and Colour
With this signing, Headstones become labelmates with Dallas Green, who guests on the Hugh Dillon-fronted band's brand new single, "NAVIGATE." Kerry Doole, Billboard Canada
A Fresh(Up) Approach to R&B in Hamilton
Sonic Unyon’s showcases have expanded to include hip hop, soul, electronic and roots performers. The dream is to eventually blossom into a full-fledged summer festival. – Sarah Jessica Rintjema, Hamilton City Magazine
Neil Young, Joan Baez & Maggie Rogers Perform at ‘Fighting Oligarchy’ Rally
The moment took place on Saturday (April 12) at the political rally hosted by Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. –Jessica Lynch, Billboard
Green Day Change 'Jesus of Suburbia' Lyrics to Make Israel-Palestine War Reference During Coachella 2025 Set
Lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong used the band's Coachella debut to make a political statement that had the crowd cheering. – Entertainment Weekly
European Union’s Latest Draft AI Code of Practice Renders Copyright ‘Meaningless,’ Rightsholders Warn
A coalition of creatives including the IFPI, which represents the recording industry worldwide, said the third draft is “completely unacceptable” as it “undermines the objectives of the AI Act, contravenes EU law and ignores the intention of the EU legislator". – Mandy Dalugdug, Music Business Worldwide
Warner Music Group is Readying Its Superfan App – With Help From Ed Sheeran
Warner Music Group‘s long-promised superfan app is moving closer to reality, with a more sophisticated version now being tested by a select group of users, according to a new Wall Street Journal report. The app recruited Ed Sheeran as its first featured artist. – MBW
Music Can Lift Mood, Foster Community and Even Rewire Brains – But Does It Need to Have a Purpose?
The therapeutic role music can play is the focus of a string of new books and even an entire BBC radio station. But why can’t we just listen to music for music’s sake? Emily MacGregor, The Guardian
HYBE Deepfake Crackdown Sees Eight Arrested in South Korea
Company's CEO pledges 'zero-tolerance and no-settlement policy' over alleged crimes against its artists .– Murray Stassen, MBW
