Music

Pluck, persistence have already paid off for Chickadee band leader

Conrad Sweatman 5 minute read 6:00 AM CDT

They talk about accidents of history and opportunities in crisis.

A memorable example of both from music: in 1928, an obscure French Romani musician named Django Reinhardt scorched his hand in a caravan fire, leaving two of his fretting fingers useless.

Doctors said Reinhardt’s days as a musician were over. Instead, he put away his banjo and reached for the guitar more often, focusing on single-note lines rather than full-fingered chords.

This is the mythical origin story of gypsy jazz — pioneering not just a new genre but the guitar as a proud lead instrument.

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What's Up: Fine art fair, Burt tours, Kilter Brewing, art auction/cupcake party, MCO concert

5 minute read Preview

What's Up: Fine art fair, Burt tours, Kilter Brewing, art auction/cupcake party, MCO concert

5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 10:08 AM CDT

Winnipeg Fine Art FairRed River Exhibition Park, 3977 Portage AveFriday to Sunday, various timesTickets: $10.50 daily; $15.75 weekend pass available onlineNow in its third year, the biggest art show in the province returns this weekend.

The juried art show and sale features 77 local artists showing works across a variety of styles, including watercolour and acrylic paintings, fibre art and photography.

Artists include Megan Elowen, whose needle-felted wool paintings invite touch; Manitoba-based Métis photographer Jason Lee, showing his dramatic Canadian landscapes; and Carla Rademaker, who uses clocks, keys, cogs and gears in her steampunk pieces.

All art on display is available to buy with all proceeds going to the artists.

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Updated: Yesterday at 10:08 AM CDT

Winnipeg Fine Art Fair is back for a third year. (Supplied)

Winnipeg Fine Art Fair is back for a third year. (Supplied)

Megan Moroney, Miranda Lambert and Ella Langley lead 2026 ACM Awards nominations dominated by women

Maria Sherman, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Megan Moroney, Miranda Lambert and Ella Langley lead 2026 ACM Awards nominations dominated by women

Maria Sherman, The Associated Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 12:18 PM CDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Megan Moroney leads the 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards with nine nominations.

That includes a first-time nomination for the top prize of the night, entertainer of the year, as well as director and artist-songwriter of the year. She's also received her third consecutive nominations for female artist and visual media of the year.

Women appear to dominate the nods: Moroney is followed by Miranda Lambert, the most-decorated artist in ACM Awards history, with eight, as well as Ella Langley and Lainey Wilson with seven.

Then it is Chris Stapleton with six, Zach Top with five and Cody Johnson with four.

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Updated: Yesterday at 12:18 PM CDT

This combination of images shows Miranda Lambert, from left, Ella Langley, and Megan Moroney. (AP Photo)

This combination of images shows Miranda Lambert, from left, Ella Langley, and Megan Moroney. (AP Photo)

Olé, Olé or Nay? Some say Jelly Roll’s World Cup tune falls flat, but Canadians are making their own anthems

Alex Nino Gheciu, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Preview

Olé, Olé or Nay? Some say Jelly Roll’s World Cup tune falls flat, but Canadians are making their own anthems

Alex Nino Gheciu, The Canadian Press 6 minute read 3:00 AM CDT

If World Cup songs are meant to sound like the world linking arms, Jelly Roll’s entry for 2026 is striking a more divisive chord.

Last month, FIFA released “Lighter,” the first official track for the tournament, pairing the American country artist with Mexican singer Carín León and Canadian producer Cirkut. On paper, it’s a cross-border collaboration for a World Cup spanning Canada, Mexico and the United States.

But the battle-worn country-rock anthem — heavy on imagery of breaking free from personal shackles — has drawn mixed reactions, with critics arguing it misses the mark for what FIFA is touting as its “largest and most inclusive” tournament yet.

“Jelly Roll’s verses honestly sound a little MAGA,” says Canadian sports media scholar Stephen Sheps.

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3:00 AM CDT

Jelly Roll performs during the 2025 Invictus Games closing ceremony, in Vancouver, B.C., Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Jelly Roll performs during the 2025 Invictus Games closing ceremony, in Vancouver, B.C., Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

On a New Kids on the Block cruise, Emma Straub found a way past grief

Alicia Rancilio, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

On a New Kids on the Block cruise, Emma Straub found a way past grief

Alicia Rancilio, The Associated Press 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 12:15 PM CDT

Emma Straub wrote her 2022 novel “This Time Tomorrow” — about a woman who is able to return to her 16th birthday and spend time with her father as a healthy young man — as her own father's health was declining. It was a love letter to the father-daughter bond. A few months later, her father, the novelist Peter Straub, died.

She was deep in grief when an advertisement for a New Kids on the Block fan cruise caught her attention. She ended up among the thousands of fans who set sail on a four-day cruise with the boy band on board. They performed intimate concerts and other events were organized for their supporters to mingle. Straub decided then and there it was perfect setting for her next book.

“For the first time, I had the whole idea,” said the author of “Modern Lovers,” “All Adults Here” and “The Vacationers.” “I knew it was a book. I could write it and I would have the time of my life doing it.”

The result was “American Fantasy,” released Tuesday. Her protagonist is Annie, a newly single empty-nester who agrees to embark on a fan cruise for a '90s boy band and ends up forming a connection with one of its members.

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Updated: Yesterday at 12:15 PM CDT

Author Emma Straub poses for a portrait in New York on Monday, March 23, 2026. (Photo by Matt Licari/Invision/AP)

Author Emma Straub poses for a portrait in New York on Monday, March 23, 2026. (Photo by Matt Licari/Invision/AP)

BTS opens world tour in South Korea after hiatus for military service

Juwon Park, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

BTS opens world tour in South Korea after hiatus for military service

Juwon Park, The Associated Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 9:19 PM CDT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Tens of thousands of BTS fans packed into a South Korean stadium Thursday to see the K-pop supergroup kick off their long-awaited world tour after a nearly four-year hiatus.

RM, Jin, Suga, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook were to perform a set drawing from both their catalog and new fifth album, “ARIRANG," their first since band members completed South Korea's mandatory military service.

Despite pouring rain, the band's fans — including some hailing from Russia, the United States and Brazil — packed a stadium with a capacity for over 40,000 for the show, which marks the group’s first headline tour performance since their 2021–22 Permission to Dance on Stage tour.

Over a hundred fans, including some who had failed to get tickets, stood outside the stadium with umbrellas to listen to the band perform.

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Updated: Yesterday at 9:19 PM CDT

K-pop band BTS fans from Philippines take a souvenir photo at the venue for the BTS World Tour Arirang in Goyang, South Korea, Thursday, April 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

K-pop band BTS fans from Philippines take a souvenir photo at the venue for the BTS World Tour Arirang in Goyang, South Korea, Thursday, April 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Vilma Jää Brings herding calls and mocking songs to Met Opera’s production of ‘Innocence’

Mike Silverman, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Vilma Jää Brings herding calls and mocking songs to Met Opera’s production of ‘Innocence’

Mike Silverman, The Associated Press 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 12:25 PM CDT

NEW YORK (AP) — When Vilma Jää enrolled at the Sibelius Academy to study folk music she never expected to end up playing a major role in one of the 21st century’s most acclaimed operas.

Kaija Saariaho, Finland’s leading opera composer, was working on a piece called “Innocence” and wanted one of the characters to sing in a style based on Finnish folk music rather than with a traditional operatic sound. She had heard Jää’s work on YouTube and asked her to make an audition tape.

“I said yes, that’s cool,” Jää said. “Everyone knows Kaija in Finland, so I knew her name, but I hadn’t listened to her music because I wasn’t into classical music.”

She grew up in Helsinki with a father who loved opera, but her musical tastes were more influenced by her mother. “Her side of the family has been into folklore for I don’t know how long,” Jää said. “My mother did folk dancing, taught it, and organized festivals of folk music and costumes.”

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Updated: Yesterday at 12:25 PM CDT

This image released by the Metropolitan Opera shows mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, left, and folk singer Vilma Jää during a rehearsal for Kaija Saariaho's "Innocence," at the Metropolitan Opera in New York on March 31, 2026. (Karen Almond/Met Opera via AP)

This image released by the Metropolitan Opera shows mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, left, and folk singer Vilma Jää during a rehearsal for Kaija Saariaho's

Studies reveal inequalities in music-biz leadership roles

Conrad Sweatman 7 minute read Preview

Studies reveal inequalities in music-biz leadership roles

Conrad Sweatman 7 minute read Wednesday, Apr. 8, 2026

Nelly Furtado, Joni Mitchell, Begonia and Tate McRae — the most visible honorees and notable winners at this year’s Juno Awards seemed to be mostly women.

But look into the annual awards categories that celebrate key decision-makers behind the scenes and a less female-centric image of the Canadian music industry’s favoured leaders emerges.

For years, categories such as Engineer of the Year, Producer of the Year and the Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award, which often celebrates music managers and executives, have skewed toward male recipients, and this year wasn’t much different.

Before anyone makes strong accusations against the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and its hundreds of Juno jurors, it’s worth noting the number of studies that reflect macro gender disparities within the music industry.

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Wednesday, Apr. 8, 2026

Cristian Rojas / Pexels

Cristian Rojas / Pexels

Music Review: Make way for Ella Langley’s ‘Dandelion,’ a new era of old-soul country

Maria Sherman, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Music Review: Make way for Ella Langley’s ‘Dandelion,’ a new era of old-soul country

Maria Sherman, The Associated Press 4 minute read Wednesday, Apr. 8, 2026

NEW YORK (AP) — A few years ago, Ella Langley emerged a saving grace for modern country music because she dared to look backward. “You Look Like You Love Me,” her award-winning, inescapable 2024 hit with Riley Green, pulled from another era — all pedal steel and spoken-word choruses, the same night out told from different perspectives. It put her on the map six years after the release of her debut single.

A song that big can be a curse — or at the very least, an obstacle — for a new performer, because they become tasked with eclipsing their own success, bypassing the curse of a one-hit wonder. But the Alabama singer-songwriter has done so with ease. And her sophomore album, “Dandelion” out Friday, co-produced by Langley, Miranda Lambert and Ben West, only further proves her chops.

Lead single “Choosin' Texas” may be her “You Look Like You Love Me” of the current moment, a rare No. 1 hit on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 for a female country artist and a radio mainstay that challenges the country industry's reputation for failing to support its women artists. (If that's not enough to sway the non-believers, maybe this is: As of this writing, “Choosin' Texas” has spent five weeks at the top, the longest run from a song by a female artist that also hit No. 1 on the country charts. Whose record did she best? Taylor Swift, of course.) Langley and her earworms, it seems, are too big to fail.

It's not just “Choosin' Texas,” though it is a standout. “Dandelion” plays to Langley's old soul strengths. The album opens with “Froggy Went A Courtin',” the centuries-old folk song and nursery rhyme, before leading to a few tracks worthy of their own myth-making: The homesick title track “Dandelion,” the credits-closing cinema of “Low Lights,” the sweet dual harmonies with ERNEST on “Loving Life Again,” and so on.

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Wednesday, Apr. 8, 2026

This cover image released by SAWGOD/Columbia shows"Dandelion" by Ella Langley. (SAWGOD/Columbia via AP)

This cover image released by SAWGOD/Columbia shows

Canadian rockers July Talk take on the myth of the midlife crisis in new rom-com

Alex Nino Gheciu, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Preview

Canadian rockers July Talk take on the myth of the midlife crisis in new rom-com

Alex Nino Gheciu, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Wednesday, Apr. 8, 2026

TORONTO -  If there’s one thing July Talk knows, it’s tension.

The Juno-winning Toronto band built its sound on the contrast between Peter Dreimanis’ raspy growl and Leah Fay Goldstein’s sugar-soft delivery — a push-and-pull that keeps their live shows feeling unpredictable, even feral.

So when the longtime partners in work and life decided to co-star in a romantic comedy, it was a surprise, but not a leap.

“It felt like the right time to collaborate in a different way other than music, because we've been making records together for a long time, over a decade now,” says Goldstein over coffee at one of the band’s haunts in Toronto’s Junction area.

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Wednesday, Apr. 8, 2026

Leah Fay Goldstein and Peter Dreimanis are photographed in Toronto as they promote the move 'Middle Life' on Thursday, April 2, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Leah Fay Goldstein and Peter Dreimanis are photographed in Toronto as they promote the move 'Middle Life' on Thursday, April 2, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Ray Stevens recovering after breaking neck

The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Ray Stevens recovering after breaking neck

The Associated Press 2 minute read Wednesday, Apr. 8, 2026

NASHVILLE (AP) — Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Ray Stevens broke his neck and is recovering at home after being briefly hospitalized, according to a statement published Tuesday.

The 87-year-old country star, who is known for his topical satire, fell late last month, according to the statement released on his X account. He will need to wear a neck brace for about a month.

“He remains fully mobile & in good spirits," the statement said.

Stevens' decades-long recording career has included such hits as the Grammy-winning “Everything Is Beautiful" as well as the zany “The Streak," which captured the mid-1970s craze for running naked in public.

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Wednesday, Apr. 8, 2026

FILE - Ray Stevens speaks during the annual announcement of inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame, March 18, 2019, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)

FILE - Ray Stevens speaks during the annual announcement of inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame, March 18, 2019, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)

Céline Dion adds 6 more dates to her Paris comeback run

Alex Nino Gheciu, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Céline Dion adds 6 more dates to her Paris comeback run

Alex Nino Gheciu, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Tuesday, Apr. 7, 2026

 

Céline Dion's heart will go on in Paris — and so will her shows.

The Quebec pop icon says she's adding six additional dates to her comeback run in the French capital.

Last week, Dion announced her return to the stage with a 10-show run in Paris this September, following a prolonged break after being diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome, an incurable autoimmune disorder.

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Tuesday, Apr. 7, 2026

Singer Céline Dion performs during her first World Tour show called Courage Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019 at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

Singer Céline Dion performs during her first World Tour show called Courage Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019 at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

Wireless Festival canceled after UK bars rapper Ye over antisemitic remarks

Jill Lawless, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Wireless Festival canceled after UK bars rapper Ye over antisemitic remarks

Jill Lawless, The Associated Press 4 minute read Tuesday, Apr. 7, 2026

LONDON (AP) — The rapper formerly known as Kanye West was barred Tuesday from entering the U.K., where he was scheduled to headline the Wireless Festival in July, after a backlash over Ye's history of antisemitic remarks.

Festival organizers canceled the three-day outdoor event as a result of the travel ban and said those who had bought tickets would get refunds.

Ye applied for an electronic travel authorization to visit the U.K., but it was blocked by the government on the grounds that his presence in the country would not be “conducive to the public good.”

“Kanye West should never have been invited to headline Wireless,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement posted on social media. “This government stands firmly with the Jewish community, and we will not stop in our fight to confront and defeat the poison of antisemitism. We will always take the action necessary to protect the public and uphold our values.”

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Tuesday, Apr. 7, 2026

FILE - Kanye West, who changed his name to Ye in 2021, performs at the Coachella Music & Arts Festival in Indio, Calif., on April 20, 2019. . (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - Kanye West, who changed his name to Ye in 2021, performs at the Coachella Music & Arts Festival in Indio, Calif., on April 20, 2019. . (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)

Man cleared in the killing of Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay could soon be freed

Jennifer Peltz, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Man cleared in the killing of Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay could soon be freed

Jennifer Peltz, The Associated Press 4 minute read Monday, Apr. 6, 2026

NEW YORK (AP) — A man who was convicted and then cleared of killing rap star Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC could be freed within days after a judge granted him $ 1 million bond on Monday.

Karl Jordan Jr. wasn't automatically let go because he still faces drug charges unrelated to the pioneering DJ's 2002 death. For now, Jordan remains behind bars while prosecutors decide this week whether to appeal the bond decision. If they don't, he'll go free as soon as his bond paperwork is in order.

“There's a real chance, Mr. Jordan, that you may be released in the very near term,” U.S. District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall said. If that happens, she added, “I wish you luck. And you will stay out of trouble.”

Jordan quietly agreed as more than a dozen of his relatives and supporters looked on from the audience. Some have attended nearly six years of court dates in his case and 17 agreed to cosign his bond. Jordan’s loved ones also agreed to put up Southern properties worth a total of $525,000. If released, he will be under electronic monitoring.

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Monday, Apr. 6, 2026

FIL - In this Feb. 22, 2002 file photo made in Los Angeles, the late Rap legend Jam Master Jay, is shown. (AP Photo/Krista Niles, File)

FIL - In this Feb. 22, 2002 file photo made in Los Angeles, the late Rap legend Jam Master Jay, is shown. (AP Photo/Krista Niles, File)

Don’t touch that dial: Future of Canada’s campus radio stations in doubt

Eli Ridder, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Don’t touch that dial: Future of Canada’s campus radio stations in doubt

Eli Ridder, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 9:43 AM CDT

Declining post-secondary enrolment, the shuttering of journalism programs and optional student fees at some schools are threatening the existence of campus radio stations across Canada.

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Updated: Yesterday at 9:43 AM CDT

Elke Sorensen, as shown in this recent handout photo, is a student at Vancouver Island University and host on CHLY 101.7 FM radio. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout-Elke Sorensen (Mandatory credit)

Elke Sorensen, as shown in this recent handout photo, is a student at Vancouver Island University and host on CHLY 101.7 FM radio. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout-Elke Sorensen (Mandatory credit)

Former Turnstile guitarist is accused of hitting an ex-bandmate’s dad with his car

The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Former Turnstile guitarist is accused of hitting an ex-bandmate’s dad with his car

The Associated Press 4 minute read Friday, Apr. 3, 2026

SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — A former guitarist for Grammy-winning Baltimore hardcore band Turnstile has been charged with attempted murder after authorities say he chased down and struck a former bandmate's father with his car, badly injuring him.

Montgomery County police officers responding to a Sunday report about a pedestrian being struck in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Silver Spring found William Yates, the 79-year-old father of lead singer Brendan Yates, injured in a front yard, according to charging documents.

Yates' family said guitarist Brady Ebert, a neighbor who parted ways with the band several years ago, had struck him with a car, police wrote. Yates’ daughter, Erin Gerber, told authorities that she and her husband were getting their kids out of their car when Ebert drove up honking at them and yelling obscenities, then drove into her father.

In video footage obtained from a neighbor, Ebert could be seen driving a gold Buick LeSabre and swerving toward William Yates but missing him, according to the charging documents. Yates then threw a rock at Ebert’s vehicle and Gerber dragged her 3-year-old son onto the lawn to avoid being hit. Ebert then turned sharply into Yates' driveway and struck him as he was trying to run away, investigators wrote. Ebert finally drove across the lawn and left.

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Friday, Apr. 3, 2026

FILE - Turnstile's guitarist Brady Ebert performs at the Coachella Music & Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club, Friday, April 19, 2019, in Indio, Calif. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)

FILE - Turnstile's guitarist Brady Ebert performs at the Coachella Music & Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club, Friday, April 19, 2019, in Indio, Calif. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)

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