Save the dates! Big Wreck is touring around Canada this fall and winter season, and they’re more than prepared to tear it up. If you haven’t heard of them yet, Big Wreck is a Canadian-American rock band formed originally in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1994. They’ve been through a lot, disbanding in 2003, our Canadian representative Ian Thornley took off for a solo-career as he quickly got back on his feet. He named his new band “Thornley”, and had quite a few members, but it only happened to last until 2011. However, Ian and Brian Doherty reunited for a cross-Canada tour in 2010, and this was the kicker to get “Big Wreck” started up once again. Currently, Big Wreck consists of Ian, Dave McMillan, Chris Caddell, and Sekou Lumumba. And together, they’re here to bring themselves back into the spotlight, and truly get back into enjoying what they love most; rockin’ out. You may be asking, “what happened to Brian?” and sadly, he passed away in June 2019 to cancer. The band misses him dearly, but is respecting and devoted to bringing his music into the future. Brian worked with passion and love for the group and what he could create, and they’re hoping to carry his spirit with them as they take to Canada on their tour, starting November 19th in Sidney, BC.

Big Wreck will be touring to plenty of spots here in BC, Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec! With their newest EP, “7.1” dropping the day of their first performance of the tour, it’s certainly a tour to look forward to. The excitement is building for many, and it’s a huge chance to catch some incredible artists perform their hearts out on stage! If you haven’t already been a fan, now is certainly the time to get into their works. They’ll be on Vancouver Island to start, but they’ll be a bit more local here in Abbotsford on the 20th! Book your tickets through their website here, and get ready for the show of a lifetime!

Shoutouts to the classics! For me, I was born a bit too late to catch these folks, but Martha and the Muffins have come back to bring some new content for their fans in a huge comeback album! They’re a Canadian rock band originating in Toronto, Ontario, all the way back in 1977! They’ve done a lot over the years, and some members of the core band even split into another group called “M + M” for a while, touring around Canada. But as for the present, it’s looking bright for fans of the longtime running art-rock group! You can check out their previous works from back in 2010 and 2017, as they will help aid in really appreciating their newest album dropping soon! When you ask? November 5th will be the release of “Marthology”, which will be a tribute to their previous works, along with plenty of new tracks to indulge in. It’s not very often you see a return of greats such as this, but it has fans stoked to hear more, and see what the future holds for this band that thankfully doesn’t know when to quit!

In specifics, they will be doing renditions of “Fighting the Monster”, released in 1992, and “Echo Breach” as a 30th-anniversary edition, dropped originally in 1980! Exciting stuff, and the track above, “Do You Ever Wonder”, was only available on their compilation labelled “The World According to Popguru”, and seeing it be available for the public as a single is lovely to see. For myself, if I saw a comeback like this for one of my favourite bands, I’d be jumping out of my seat on levels of excited I diddn’t even know I had in me. So I’m overjoyed for longterm fans of the group getting treated to such a delight. If you’re in the same boat I am, and haven’t been a part of the fanbase for Martha and the Muffins for years already, take a look! You surely won’t be disappointed, and if you find some lovely favourites in their discography, then you have quite the album to look forward to.

If you’ve been looking for a reason to rejoice for fresh tunes, as we have a red hot band right out the oven, just for you! It’s not easy to begin as a startup in these times, but Talking Violet is here to break through the concrete like a strong weed, and they’re starting out strong. Just recently on October 1st, they released their first album, “tell your friends you love them”, and have received some really positive feedback. Already having over 2500+ monthly listeners for being barely a week into release, it’s incredible to see such a fantastic start for the band. They’re based in Windsor, Ontario, and formed their group back in 2017. The names Jill Goyeau, Jay Turnbull, Nate Blackton, and Jeremie Brousseau will be ones to keep an eye on, as who knows what bright future awaits this new group! They have an active social media presence as well and provide plenty for their fans.

For such a fresh debut of talent, I can’t wait to see how they begin to expand on their talents, and produce music from the brightest parts of their soul together. They’re a heartwarming crew that is trying their best to bring quality emotion to their work and hope to truly captivate the hearts of many. It can be scary to think about what the difficulties could be, but producing such a fantastic debut album during these times is a huge achievement worth praise in itself. If you’re hoping to catch a show, sadly they won’t be touring to the Vancouver area just yet, but they are going to be performing in Oshawa, Ontario in the Biltmore Theatre, this October 9th. If you have any friends over in the east, give them a heads up! They deserve the love. Truly, best of luck to Talking Violet, and it’ll surely be worthwhile to drop them a follow and see what they get up to next!

The duo from Oshawa Ontario is back in action, and performing their hearts out during these harder times. Bringing entertainment, and quality rock for fans everywhere. Crown Lands is touring across Canada, and finishing their tour over in Brighton, UK. Consisting of drummer and vocalist Cody Bowles, paired with the guitarist, bassist, and keyboardist Kevin Comeau, they’ve been creating incredible and meaningful tunes since 2015. The name, “Crown Lands”, refers to the retaking of government-owned first-nations land, and since Bowles is of Mi’kmaq descent they write partially from an activist perspective. They’ve been plenty active in releasing music over the pandemic as well, releasing their album, “Crown Lands” in august of 2020, and their latest EP, “White Buffalo” in September of this year. They’re certainly a band to keep your eyes on, and they’ll be coming to Vancouver later this month, on October 23rd! The Big Wave Tour has been successful, and it’s nice to see artist get the chance to perform their hearts out on a grand tour such as this. They’ve been hitting spots across Canada, and are planning to go even further. With plenty of stops in Alberta, Ontario, and even coming to BC, it’s hard to think they won’t take over the Canadian rock industry!

Winning the Juno Award for breakthrough group of the year, and being nominated for rock album of the year, Crown Lands has been dominating the rock scene. And seeing such meaningful music take off is inspiring to many. If you’re looking to catch a show, you can RSVP and buy your tickets right through their site here, and their Vancouver show will be at the Biltmore Cabaret. A ticket will only run you 20 bucks, so what are you waiting for? Bring your vaccine passport, and your best dancing shoes, as Crown Lands is about to rock stages across Canada.

Come one, come all! The Vancouver Outsider Arts Festival is on the way to provide an opportunity for many, and to showcase many underrepresented artists. Providing a venue for those who may be facing exclusion from society, or artists who may be facing other kinds of barriers. It’s an event for the exhibition of talent and sales, and to allow fresh work to be displayed by those who may need it most. The Vancouver Outsider Arts Festival has been going on since 2017, allowing the artists who deserve just as much spotlight as any other celebrity, a stage to stand upon. It is for all styles of creativity, highlighting visual artworks, but also plenty of musical and other styles of performers! Especially when times have been very harsh for many artists out there, especially those who may struggle to be properly compensated for their work, or get their name out there. But thanks to this year’s VOAF, it’s bound to be a fantastic chance for many. Not to mention, there are plenty of artists this year! A grand total of over 45 talents showcasing what they got! There will also be plenty of workshops, allowing education and information from the talents themselves!

With so much to look forward to, where is it happening? When is it happening? Well, October 15th to the 17th will be your golden window of opportunity, at least, in person! There will also be an online event from October 27th to December 1st! Sadly, applications to be a talent are closed for this year, but this is surely an event to keep your eyes on for next year if you’re also hoping to get on board of the cast of talent for this event. But at the end of the day, what’s it gonna cost you to get in for an event like this as a spectator? Nothin. Nadda. Zilch. Completely free, for everyone’s enjoyment and exposure. It’ll be at the Roundhouse Community Arts and Education Centre, so plan the trip, save the date, and go check out some fresh talent!