Curse the vagaries of modern air travel

I had planned to write this newsletter this afternoon, after I got back from a trip, but I have been delayed, of course.

Applause will return next week. Until then, here’s a look at what the Arts & Life team has been working on while I’ve been away.

Jill Wilson

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NEW IN MUSIC

What’s up: WSO Pops, Halloween flicks, Donovan Woods, drawing workshop, Ritchot Textiles

Free Press staff recommends things to do this week Read More

New music: Leon Bridges, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, James Bay, Patricia Brennan Septet, Mendelssohn

Talk, like much of British troubadour James Bay's latest album, Changes All the Time, ends with a rousing chorus sung above a guitar melody. To get there, he starts with a confession: “I don’t know how to talk to you/I gotta give you something true.” Read More

Ben Waldman:

Behind the music

Historian John Einarson donates trove of archives to university, looks back at life in new book Read More

Ben Waldman:

Vintage recorder brings antique sound to Joel Plaskett’s new album

Joel Plaskett’s latest album was dressed for this season, its moonlit songs layered beneath its woodsy jacket. About four years ago, Plaskett was sitting in his home office in Dartmouth, N.S., staring... Read More

David Friend, The Canadian Press:

Spotify plans to raise prices on its monthly streaming packages in Canada

TORONTO – Spotify is raising its prices again in Canada. The music streaming service notified users this week that it will increase the cost of its ad-free monthly subscription packages before the end of the year. Read More

David Friend, The Canadian Press:

Coldplay books two more dates in Toronto, only Canadian stop on tour

TORONTO – Coldplay is doubling down on its concert dates in Toronto. The British rock act says it’s adding July 11 and July 12 of next year to its planned shows at the yet-to-be-opened Rogers Stadium. Read More

Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press:

Céline Dion releases Olympics ‘Hymne à l’amour’ performance as single

Céline Dion has released a recording of her performance of “Hymne à l’amour” at the Paris Olympics. Dion’s rendition of Edith Piaf’s song during the opening ceremonies in July marked the Quebecois singer’s return to the stage after announcing her diagnosis with stiff person syndrome in 2022. Read More

NEW ON STAGE

Conrad Sweatman:

Performing arts campaign aims to get butts back in seats

Performing arts groups in Manitoba and the Canadian Prairies are banding together to launch a half-million-dollar “Got Milk?”-style campaign to bring buzz to their struggling industry. Read More

NEW ON SCREEN

Alison Gillmor:

Trump biopic unsparing politically but oddly sympathetic

A drama based on “real events and real individuals,” The Apprentice was a hot ticket at Cannes, mostly because its central “individual” is currently a deeply divisive candidate in the U.S. presidential election. Read More

Alison Gillmor:

Bad romance

Joker sequel a disjointed musical with a strange love story Read More

Randall King:

Past curse, haunted history doesn’t scare off filmmakers

You can’t say Canadian filmmakers Stuart Stone and Adam Rodness are scared off by a curse. The pair infamously shot the 2022 stoner comedy Vandits in Winnipeg in 2021, only to have hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of film equipment stolen from them on the day designated for the first day of shooting. Read More

Alex Nino Gheciu, The Canadian Press:

‘Universal Language’ named best Canadian movie at Vancouver film festival

“Universal Language,” an absurdist dramedy by Winnipeg writer-director Matthew Rankin, has claimed the $15,000 award for best Canadian film at this year’s Vancouver International Film Festival. Read More