Watch the video for the new Massive Attack and Tom Waits track "Boots On The Ground" about the crumbling U.S. democracy.
Here's the scoop from Tom Waits HQ...
Today Massive Attack is sharing their collaboration with Tom Waits, "Boots on the Ground." And sadly for all, their song is never more urgent and timely. The song chronicles the madness and rabid abandonment of mankind to the commands of "The Masters of War” as Dylan put it. It marks Massive Attack's first new music since 2020 and Waits’s first new recording since the 2011 album, Bad As Me.
The song is available today on streaming platforms, and will be followed by a 12" vinyl release. The 12” edition features "Boots on the Ground" on Side A, with an exclusively Waits B-side titled "The Fly” - a track featuring Waits’s trademark droll and sardonic spoken word.
Watch the video for "Boots On The Ground" below. Get it right here.
Sadly, Dinah Christie – co-star of CHCH-TV's Party Game, who recorded a song for Justin Trudeau in '72 – has passed away at 83. She'll be greatly missed.
Dinah Christie on CBC-TV's This Hour Has Seven Days
Raising a glass to Arkansas-born blues great Frank Frost on his birthday with some rare performance footage and a few of his classic recordings.
From Sun Records HQ...
Born Frank Otis Frost in Auvergne, Arkansas on April 15, 1936, Frost’s first exposure to music came as a young boy when he learned to play the piano for the choir in his family’s church. Frost moved to St. Louis, Missouri when he was 15 and began his musical career as a guitarist. He toured in 1954 with drummer Sam Carr and Carr’s father, Robert Nighthawk. Soon after, he spent several years touring with Sonny Boy Williamson, who helped teach him to play harmonica. After a hand injury, Frost turned his attention to the harmonica and piano.
Jelly Roll Kings
Around 1960, Frost moved with Carr to the Mississippi Delta. After he played a show with the guitarist Big Jack Johnson, they added him to their group. Together they attracted the interest of the record producer Sam Phillips, who years earlier had overseen Elvis Presley‘s first recording sessions. He produced Hey Boss Man for Phillips International in 1962, with blues hybrids like “Frank’s Jump” showing off Frost’s diverse, intensely melodic harmonica solos. Presley’s guitarist, Scotty Moore, produced Frost’s next album in Nashville, Tennessee in 1966 for Jewel Records. Augmented by session bassist Chip Young, the trio’s tight downhome ensemble work was once again seamless. “My Back Scratcher,” Frost’s takeoff on Slim Harpo‘s “Baby Scratch My Back,” even dented the R&B chart for three weeks.
In the late 1970s, Frost was re-discovered by a blues enthusiast, Michael Frank, who began releasing albums on his Earwig Music Company label by the trio of Frost, Sam Carr and Big Jack Johnson, now called the Jelly Roll Kings after a song from the Hey Boss Man album.
Over the years, cigarettes and alcohol wore Frost down but he continued to record, tour and diversify his repertory, appearing in the films Deep Blues: A Musical Pilgrimage to the Crossroads and Crossroads.
Frost died at the age of 63 from a cardiac arrest in Helena, Arkansas on October 12, 1999.
Reissues of Frank Frost's recordings for Sam Phillips are available here. Watch an interview along with a few performances below.
Pretty Ugly: The Story Of The Lunachicks uses rare footage and interviews to tell the tale of NYC's 90s punk rock provocateurs.
Here's the scoop...
Riotous punk music icons Lunachicks reunite after 20 years in an unfiltered, hilarious, and electric documentary. Packed with rare archival footage, the film traces their rise from gritty NYC teens to feminist trailblazers of the 90s grunge era. Fans and newcomers alike will thrill as the band recounts old antics, rekindles bonds, and embarks on their long-awaited journey back to the stage.
Watch the trailer followed by a Q&A with the group, some performance footage shot at CBGB's in 1992, Theo Kogan's interview with Jon Stewart from 1996 (which leads into an unrelated show closer played by Mike Watt and pals Eddie Vedder & Dave Grohl), and a rippin' blast at Lee's Palace in Toronto from 1997. Of course, there are no Toronto-area screenings for Pretty Ugly – if only there was a Toronto-based film festival during the month of April which focused on hot documentaries... well, some day maybe – but you can check the listings below for a current list of dates and locations near you.
Swing into spring with the sensational Tia Brazda at Toronto's historic Old Mill on Friday night at 8 pm.
Here's the scoop...
Join Tia Brazda for an unforgettable night of Jazz-pop & vintage swing at Toronto's historic Old Mill (21 Old Mill Rd, Etobicoke). Recognized as one of Canada’s most dazzling voices, Tia blends retro-soul elegance with modern jazz sensibilities to create a style that is wholly her own. From infectious swing rhythms to sultry, "bewitching" ballads, experience a curated musical journey that has captivated audiences from the Montreux Jazz Festival to the world’s most intimate supper clubs. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to witness one of the country’s most stylish jazz ensembles in the city’s most iconic venue.
Doors open at 6:00 p.m. Music begins at 8:00 p.m. Price: $40 prepaid entertainment charge (non-refundable and non-transferable). $60 minimum spend on food and/or beverage per person. Make your booking right here. Watch some footage of Tia tearin' it up below.
Coming to Hugh’s Room on Friday, April 17 is singer/songwriter, guitarist and producer Gary Louris. He has built a deeply compelling body of music whose artistry and integrity has won the loyalty of an international audience and the respect of both critics and peers. Best known for his seminal work with The Jayhawks and Minneapolis rockabilly group
Safety Last, he has also worked with alt-rock supergroup Golden Smog. Gary's most recent recording, the largely autobiographical Dark Country, was released by Sham/Thirty Tigers in February 2025 and includes the song "Listening To Bobby Charles" which he performs following revealing interviews for WMOT-FM and The Current below.
Play It Loud! star Jay Douglas tops the bill at Jaymz Bee's epic Caravan of Music fundraiser at the Old Mill on Monday night.
Jaymz Bee's Caravan of Music
Jaymz Bee has spent the past decade turning his birthday into a fundraising celebration, raising tens of thousands for various charities. For the past several years, he has raised funds for the Unison Fund, a non-profit music industry organization providing counselling, emergency financial support, and other resources to the Canadian music community.
Monday, April 13, 2026 marks his biggest event yet: 24 bands and over 140+ musicians performing in 12 unique rooms at the iconic Old Mill Toronto, all in one unforgettable night.
The Caravan of Music is a four-hour event where hundreds of people tour the historic Old Mill, catching a few songs in each room, from intimate 100-person spaces to 300-capacity venues.
Each ticket (a passport) grants you full access to enjoy over 140 musicians in one evening, spanning various genres: jazz, funk, soul, blues, country, singer-songwriters, and an 18-piece big band. From solo artists to full ensembles, there's something for every music lover. Confirmed lineup includes Jay Douglas (see below), Genevieve Marentette, George Koller, Jane Bunnett and Danae Olano, Drew Jurecka, Eliana Cuevas and Jeremy Ledbetter, Adam James, Alexis Baro, Alison Young, Ben Wittman, Blackburn Brothers, Brendee Green's Poetry Brothel, Chris Bottomley's Brainfudge, Denielle Bassels, Dizzy and Fay, Eric St-Laurent, Ewen Farncombe, Mark Kelso, Melissa Payne, Michael Shand, Robert Priest, Roger aka Roger, Ross MacIntyre, Sam Broverman, Sean Nykwist, Swing Shift Big Band, Taylor Abrahamse, The Roncy Boys, The Shuffle Demons, Tony Quarrington, Whitney Ross Barris, and more to come!
Caravan participants will have a map, along with their passport ticket, to help them find the various live music rooms: The Westminster Room, Drawing Room, Garden Room, Balmoral Room, Humber Room, Victoria Room, York Room, Mill Room, Main Dining Room, The Chapel, and more!
Get tickets right here. Watch a few performances by Jay Douglas, Jane Bunnett & Danae Olano and Genevieve Marentette below.
Jaymz Bee's Caravan of Music
Date: Monday, April 13th
Venue: Old Mill Toronto, 21 Old Mill Rd
General Admission Tickets: $55 +HST / $60 +HST at the door
VIP Gala Dinner: $250 +HST - An intimate evening before the Caravan begins, includes a three-course meal with wine courtesy of Henry of Pelham and Peninsula Ridge Estates, all-star house band with special guest performances, and full Caravan access following dinner.
Saxophonist Girma Woldmichael will be performing songs from his new Nafqoté album at the Redwood Theatre May 9th.
Girma Woldemichael
NAFQOTÉ album release concert
Saturday, May 9th at 8 pm
Redwood Theatre (1600 Gerrard St. East)
Tickets: $20 advance, $25 door
Legendary Ethio-Jazz Saxophonist Girma Woldemichael CD Release Concert-Nafqoté Saturday, May 9th at The Redwood Theatre - immersed in the vibrant Ethio-Jazz scene—a genre that fuses Ethiopia’s distinctive pentatonic scales with jazz, funk, soul, and Latin rhythms—Woldemichael performed alongside some of Ethiopia’s most iconic artists, including Aster Aweke, Mahmoud Ahmed, Alemayehu Eshete, and Tilahun Gessesse, and was a member of the renowned Ethio Stars band along with Mulatu Astatke.
Tickets are $20 advance (includes fees) and are available here. Watch Girma's performance of "Yezemede Bada" and more below.
Nic & The Narcs will be launching their new recording in a special double release matinee show with Shredded Beef at The Cameron House on April 11 at 4 pm.
From Nic & The Narcs HQ...
"ARE YOU FUCKING STUPID OR WHAT CAUSE OUR NEW SINGLE DROPPED TODAY LIKE CHARGES AGAINST CROOKED COPS LOL BUT SERIOUSLY, ITS CALLED "NOBODY MOVE" AND ITS NOT ABOUT TORONTO AUDIENCES, IT'S ABOUT FUCKIN' ROBBING SHIT AND WE ARE PUTTING THE FULL ALBUM OUT APRIL 3. RELEASE SHOW AT THE CAMERON HOUSE ON APRIL 11."
Watch the Nic & The Narcs' videos for "Nobody Move" and "Crimewave" along with a live performance at the Horseshoe Tavern from 2024.
Since Robyn is in town to preview his forthcoming album The Confuser!, here's the video for his new single "I Am This Thing"
Here's the scoop from Tiny Ghost HQ...
The Confuser! is the brand new album from Robyn Hitchcock, out July 24 on Tiny Ghost Records!
A jangle rock LP recorded in Nashville, TN with: Jeremy Fetzer (electric guitar), Todd Bolden (bass), Eric Slick (drums) and – specially imported from the UK – Kimberley Rew (electric guitar). The album was produced by Brad Jones and Robyn Hitchcock. You can pre-order The Confuser! on your choice of vinyl colours directly from Tiny Ghost Records right here.
Check the tracklisting followed by the video for "I Am This Thing" along with an interview and a few tunes from his recent E-Town appearance below.
Tickets for Robyn's "Live & Electric" full band show with Emma Swift at Toronto's Horseshoe Tavern on Saturday (April 11) at 8 pm are $54.36 and available right here.
Check out Will "Quantic" Holland spinning a selection of Colombian 78 gems for My Analog Journal.
Colombia at 78 RPM with Quantic
Caribbean Rhythms From The Jukebox Era
"I spent years searching for records in Colombia, collecting LPs, 45s and especially fragile 78rpm shellac discs, often losing them to breakage along the way. What fascinated me was how Colombia’s jukebox culture kept 78s alive well beyond the 70s, preserving a rich, folkloric sound shaped by labels like Fuentes and Curro and artists such as Andrés Landero. Through digging, compiling The Original Sound of Cumbia, and later projects like Ondatropica, I’ve tried to share these recordings and honour the musicians behind them. Despite the technical challenges of playing and restoring these records, there’s something powerful about how music recorded over seventy years ago can still resonate so deeply today.
"I had a lot of fun compiling these records for My Analog Journal and I'm really proud with how the mix turned out. Live now on Youtube.
Ralph Alfonso is showing some of his amazing punk era photos of The Ramones, Iggy Pop and more this weekend.
CRASH 'N' BURN
Ralph Alfonso Photo Exhibition
April 10 at 7 pm & April 11 at 10 pm
EMISSIONS RECORD SHOP
1114 Dundas St W. (DOWNSTAIRS)
Free admission
We are proud to announce the first ever Toronto photography exhibition by Ralph Alfonso, featuring his incredible documentation of the 1976-1979 punk explosion.
In addition to managing The Diodes and the Crash'n'Burn Club (Canada's first punk club, built by and run by the bands); Ralph was an important writer/photographer; covering the nascent scenes in New York, Toronto, and the UK for publications like Cheap Thrills (Toronto), New York Rocker and BOMP! (USA), Shades (Toronto) and others.
His trove of photographs includes Iggy, Patti Smith, Diodes, Ramones, Talking Heads, Dead Boys, Richard Hell, Stranglers, Mo-Dettes, The Curse, Teenage Head, Viletones, Barracudas, The Jam, Clash and many more.
Listen to an interview with Ralph for Equalizing Distort right here.
Ralph Alfonso and Hamilton-based punk rock aficionado Imants Krummins.
Writes Ralph:
"Old school 76-77 punk is having a moment. It was 50 years ago that Punk magazine serendipitously gave this music a moniker and The Ramones spread the gospel worldwide, as hundreds of bands formed after every one of their concerts.
"Anyway, all this to say, I was actually there and I took some photos and wrote about it, ran a club, managed a band, pissed off a major label, and then it was all over and I disappeared into the music industry labyrinth, all my negatives sitting in a box for eons, only to be rediscovered a few years ago and I'm still finding amazing images I didn't realize I had.
"These are photos from 1977-79 when I was a rock twitter/photographer; both documenting and participating in the nascent punk scene in New York and Toronto. In 1977, I was given $100 (probably $700 in today's money)by Cheap Thrills magazine (Toronto, house paper for CPI, the major Toronto concert promoters of the day) and told to go to New York and check out this new thing going on there.
"I got to CBGB's to witness the North American debut of The Damned with The Dead Boys opening! There was no security then, so I just wandered backstage and interviewed and photographed both bands. Everybody hung out at CBGBs, so it was incredible to just walk up to Seymour Stein and Sylvain Sylvain and ask for a quick interview.
"When I came back, I got involved as The Diodes manager and we ran the Crash'n'Burn club; Canada's first punk club created and built by the bands. In that scene, I photographed the Viletones, Diodes, Teenage Head, Curse, etc and wrote scene reports for New York Rocker and Bomp! magazine in the States.
"In 1979, I went to the UK and hooked up with The Barracudas, Mo-Dettes, Chelsea, and others. It was also that transition period when punk was fading out and mod was coming in. To walk in to a club and see all the charcters I'd only ever seen in UK music papers was pretty incredible.
"So, the show will be kind of a greatest hits of travels through New York, Toronto, and London.
"And yes, I've been working on a book, Foto-Punk, which will collect all my 70s interviews plus photos. I'm hoping for spring 2027. I got sidetracked by covid and some serious health issues but I'm back on track now.
"I will also have a show in Hamilton on May 8 at the old location of This Ain't Hollywood, now The Local Skate shop, and either in the fall or next spring, I will have an exhibition in Japan!! Wow.
"But over the next few weeks, I am doing a DEEP dive into the negs and preparing for my first ever photo exhibition in Toronto at the cool Emissions Record Shop.
See you there!" - Ralph Alfonso
Check out CBC's preview of Ralph's Crash 'n' Burn exhibition right here. Yep, that's Teenage Head's Nick, Steve and Gordie.
Tickets are selling fast for the Toronto premiere of Mario Cuzic's doc Ichi-Bons A Go-Go at The Royal Theatre on Sunday, April 26.
Here's the scoop...
Ichi-Bons a Go-Go is a documentary by filmmaker Mario Cuzic about Toronto garage rockabillies The Ichi-Bons and their Japanese tours. It is the first time since COVID that Hideki (Bass) and Mamoru (Guitar/Vocals) have been back to their home country of Japan. We hear of the significance of the tour and the influence it had on all 3 members of the band. A Rock 'n' Roll story about returning home.
Get tickets for the Toronto premiere screening of Ichi-Bons a Go-Go and performance at The Royal Theatre (608 College) on Sunday, April 26 at 7 pm right here. Watch the trailer below.
Pratt & Moody's new 45 "Hard Way To Live" with Cold Diamond & Mink sounds like a Darondo session outtake from 1973.
Here's the scoop from Timmion HQ...
Pratt & Moody return on May 15th with a new 7" single on Timmion Records, pairing “Hard Way To Live” with “You Bring Me Joy” – two deep diving soul cuts that reaffirm their place among the true pioneers of the modern sweet & beat soul revival. Written and recorded together with Timmion’s trusted house band Cold Diamond & Mink, the single continues a lineage that has consistently blurred the line between contemporary songwriting and timeless soul aesthetics.
The A-side, “Hard Way To Live,” finds Pratt & Moody firmly in their beat ballad lane. Built on a warm, funky foundation, the song balances emotional weight with melodic lift, as its chorus opens into crossover soul-pop territory. Lyrically, it wrestles with life-earned scars and the quiet difficulty of letting go of pain that they cause – the feeling of keeping on running even after you’ve spent the last of what you had.
On the flip, “You Bring Me Joy” unfolds like a slow-burning David Lynch scene, its dramatic crawl evoking soundtrack soul before bursting into a Stax-inspired chorus. Tremolo-soaked guitar lines nod to classic dark surf music, while Emilia Sisco’s gospel-tinged background vocals elevate the track into full emotional bloom. Together, these two songs offer a vivid preview of Pratt & Moody’s upcoming album – a deeper plunge into soulful storytelling, their tried and tested lowrider soul chops, and modern clarity, soon to follow on Timmion Records.
You can pre-order a copy of "Hard Way To Live" via Bandcamp right here. Check it out below.
