What's Up: Ballpark Brewfest, Timber Timbre tribute, Ai-Kon, Salsa Sundays, Neepawa ArtFest

Ballpark BrewfestBlue Cross Park, 1 Portage Ave. E.Saturday, 2-5 p.m.Tickets $70-$90The Winnipeg Goldeyes are loading up the bases this weekend as the bulk of Manitoba’s craft breweries descend upon Blue Cross Park as part of the third Ballpark Brewfest.

The Goldeyes organization has long been friends of local brewers — in 2022 the club introduced the Craft Beer Corner with a rotating selection of local beers on tap for thirsty baseball fans. Later that year, Goldeyes general manager Andrew Collier pitched the idea of a craft beer festival at the ballpark to brewers and was met with widespread enthusiasm — and Ballpark Brewfest was born.

The inaugural Ballpark Brewfest in 2022 featured around 18 craft brewers taking part; the following year two dozen brewers were pouring lagers, ales, sours and all manner ofIPAs.

Saturday’s Ballpark Brewfest marks its return after a two-year absence, and will see over 20 breweries taking part in the afternoon tasting (which takes place rain or shine — breweries are set up under the roof of the concourse). Participating breweries include Barn Hammer, Dastardly Villain, Trans Canada, Devil May Care and Good Neighbour — in addition to core pours, many breweries will be bringing small-batch/exclusive brews.

Angine de Poitrine makes Toronto debut with two shows, Jack White rocks polka dots for the occasion

TORONTO - Quebec's viral extraterrestrial rockers Angine de Poitrine made first contact with Toronto on Tuesday night, pulling off an ambitious double bill.

The eccentric duo, who claim to be 333-year-old aliens, kicked things off by opening for Jack White at RBC Amphitheatre, before racing across the city for their own headlining set at the Mod Club.

Donning their signature papier-mâché masks and monochrome polka-dotted costumes, the anonymous band powered through a heatwave at Toronto's waterfront venue, delivering hypnotic, infectious math-rock songs from their Polaris Music Prize-nominated album, "Vol. II."

White took the stage afterward donning a black shirt with white polka dots — seemingly a nod to Angine de Poitrine — and shouting out the Quebec band at the end of his face-melting set, declaring, "Rock and roll is alive and well in Canada."

Latin and country surge in the US as more music is being streamed than ever before

NEW YORK (AP) — Halfway through 2026, a few music, film and TV streaming trends have become clear, according to Luminate’s 2026 Midyear Report, which was released Wednesday.

Notably, more music is being streamed than ever before, both in the U.S. and globally.

In terms of genre: The combination of R&B/hip-hop remains on top in the U.S., but its dominance is being challenged by genre diversification, as other styles experience growth.

Latin and country music are surging thanks to artists like Bad Bunny and Ella Langley. Certain AI-generated tracks are also growing in popularity.

Creed finds fans young and old as the oft-disbanded group returns to city

Creed is, once again, having a moment.

The American post-grunge band was one of the most prolific acts of the late ‘90s and early 2000s, releasing three multi-platinum records in a row and dominating radio airwaves with more than a dozen hit singles. Despite the popular acclaim, the band was also the subject of much critical disdain.

The disdain, however, seems to have waned as new and returning fans have welcomed Creed back into the zeitgeist in recent years with arms wide open.

That sentiment certainly rang true for the enthusiastic multigenerational crowd that gathered at Canada Life Centre on Tuesday night to worship at the altar of hard rock nostalgia during the band’s Summer of ‘99 tour stop.

‘We’re just normal humans’: Angine de Poitrine on their out-of-this world success

In a music industry where even some well-established acts are struggling to sell tickets, Angine de Poitrine has become something of an anomaly.

The masked, oddball duo from Saguenay, Que., is packing venues around the world, drawing record-breaking festival crowds and turning a Toronto debut into a four-show run this week.

Not bad for a band that, just six months ago, was virtually unknown beyond its hometown.

It's the kind of ascent that invites theories about viral strategy or a grand marketing plan.

Saskatchewan RCMP respond to 177 calls during Craven Country Thunder Music Festival

REGINA - RCMP in Saskatchewan say officers responded to 177 calls over the weekend during the Country Thunder Music Festival in Craven. 

Mounties say they also laid various charges after reports of drinking and driving, mischief and assaults. 

They say they also had to deal with thefts of coolers, lawn chairs and items from a merchandise booth.

RCMP had partnered with Saskatchewan Government Insurance to conduct traffic stops near the festival grounds in the village outside Regina. 

Music Review: Gracie Abrams confronts crises on ‘Daughter From Hell’

Crises loom across singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams' third album, “Daughter from Hell,” out Friday.

A knife — stabbed in the heart or stuck in her side — appears as a repeated motif. “Hell” takes on different forms; it's an insult thrown in “Sober” and a place she breaks away from in the title track. The project finds Abrams in a darker place than her previous two records. But by employing a broader array of instruments and production styles, the resulting 16 tracks live up to the bigger arenas she now fills, even if many of the songs feel like a return to her introspective form.

Electric guitar opens the title track, where Abrams' layered voice longs for the traits of her mother: “And I want your patience / I want your grace / I want your sugar,” she sings. Aaron Dessner, a collaborator on Abrams' previous projects, cowrites and produces across the album. Here, his touch is felt in the guitar riffs that build toward the song's midpoint, and the shaker and tambourine that fill them out.

The pair flex across the tracks; Abrams' poetic language only sometimes tripping on itself. On the acoustic guitar and piano-set ballad “Death Wish,” she reflects on a fractured relationship. “How long will you give me?” she pleads before the pace picks up. "'Til you twist the knife with a smile while you kill me?”

Canadian artists grapple with touring difficulties as gas prices rise

It’s a story as old as rock and roll: some kids hop in a van, fill up on cigarettes and gas, and let ‘er rip on the Trans-Canada Highway in pursuit of fun, fame and fortune.

Or, failing fortune, a wad of 20s and loose change to cover gas on the way home two weeks later.

If they turn on the radio before reaching the Perimeter, hopefully the bad news and bad vibes they hear won’t persuade them into pulling a U-turn.

In June, it was reported that Manitoba’s annual inflation rate had jumped to 4.6 per cent in May, topping all provinces alongside Nova Scotia. Statistics Canada said drivers were paying the highest for gas since June 2022, when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine threw global supply chains into chaos.

In the hour of chaos, Allison Russell chooses connection

TORONTO - Allison Russell isn’t a big doomscroller.

Not because the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter is unaware of what’s happening around her — quite the opposite.

“I’m a queer, Black, Canadian woman immigrant, living in the U.S. right now, living in Tennessee, which is experiencing a rise in fascism and bigotry and a bad-acting, concerted effort to drive wedges between people and to make people fear each other,” she says.

But Russell believes despair can become its own kind of trap.

Sore feet, big smiles: What it’s like playing in the Calgary Stampede Showband

CALGARY - When Jace Hernandez auditioned for the Calgary Stampede Showband, the 18-year-old realized he was missing a vital skill for the troupe.

How to march.

"I was, like, whoa, whoa. What's going on? Why is everyone dragging their feet on the floor?" said the first-year band member.

Hernandez said he figured out on the fly how to read a dot page, which is graph-like sheet that shows where to stand during performances, and also learned how to march while playing a tenor saxophone.

Colourful folk festival campground a hive of creative activity

The 51st annual Winnipeg Folk Festival had yet to commence, but festivities in the campground were already in full swing.

The festival campground opened early Wednesday morning and provides a temporary home to more than 6,000 residents during the four-day music festival at Birds Hill Provincial Park.

By Thursday afternoon, the area had been transformed into a sea of colourful tents and trailers. A steady stream of campers could be seen hauling wagons from the parking lot loaded with essentials: coolers and tarps, sleeping bags and sunscreen.

Others brought a little more than the basics.

Meridian Prize launched

While the Polaris has recognized top Canadian albums since 2006, there has long been some consternation within industry circles regarding regional dominance by artists from Ontario and Quebec.

Polaris nod brings Begonia’s fantasy closer to reality

After taking home the Juno Award for Adult Alternative Album of the Year in March, Winnipeg singer-songwriter Begonia has now earned a spot on the 10-album short list for the 2026 Polaris Music Prize.

Polaris Music Prize short list includes Charlotte Cornfield, Aquakultre and Angine de Poitrine

Toronto singer-songwriter Charlotte Cornfield, Halifax R&B and soul artist Aquakultre and Quebec microtonal rockers Angine de Poitrine are among the first-time finalists vying for this year’s Polaris Music Prize.

The annual award, which honours the best Canadian album based solely on artistic merit, announced its 10-album short list Thursday.

Cornfield’s acclaimed sixth LP “Hurts Like Hell” is her first since the birth of her daughter in 2023, a turning point that is felt throughout the project’s themes of personal growth and renewal.

Aquakultre is up for “1783,” which celebrates Black history in Nova Scotia, while Angine de Poitrine are in the running for their hotly buzzed album “Vol. II.”

Yungblud withdraws from Calgary’s Cowboys Music Festival: ‘I’m working on myself’

English musician Yungblud
will no longer be performing at the Cowboys Music Festival in Calgary on Sunday.

The rock artist said on social media Wednesday evening that he is currently working on himself and "taking time off at home." The message was posted on the festival's Instagram along with a note from his management team saying they "made the decision as a team to pull Yungblud" from the lineup.

Earlier this year, the artist born Dominic Richard Harrison celebrated his first Grammy win for best rock performance and a number one single on Billboard's alternative airplay chart with his song "Zombie."

Last week, Yungblud shared a video of himself getting visibly emotional during a show in Czechia. He wrote in the caption that he had a "breakdown" after the set, explaining that the "hate and disbelief" he's received from strangers on the Internet have negatively impacted him.