Like the ball drop at Times Squares in New York City, the fireworks igniting from the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and the annual rite of hundreds of million of people making resolutions they cannot keep, we once again share some of our favorite songs from the past 365 days. The Mega, Mega Playlist of 2018 is another doozy. Specifically, it features […]

I was fortunate to once again photograph all of the festivals I did in 2017, including Canadian Music Week, Dragonboat, Montebello RockFest, Ottawa Bluesfest, Newport Folk Festival, Osheaga, CityFolk, and Beau’s Oktoberfest as well as many individual concerts. I like to try to capture some of the energy of the live shows in photos so I hope my photos convey some of […]

Like years past, this year I saw my share of shows. Being a contributor to The Revue, I am fortunate in that I can mesh many of my favourite things: live music, event photography, and gathering with friends. For the third year, I was able to photograph a pair of recognized and respected international music festivals as approved media. However, […]

Two days ago, we shared our Favorite 20 EPs of the year. Today, we commence our look back at our Favorite 50 Albums of 2018, counting down the first 25. As we always do, the list is in alphabetical order. As a reminder, we have not ranked the LPs nor use the term “Best” since both imply that we have […]

Tell Me How You Really Feel by courtney barnett Courtney Barnett is undoubtedly one of the most recognizable rock starts on the planet right now. Between her breakout record, Sometimes I Sit and Think and Sometimes I Just Sit, and her Lotta Sea Lice collaboration with Kurt Vile, she had a big reputation to live up to on her newest […]

Another week has passed, which means another great few days of hearing new music. The Weekend Showcase 4.40 edition has 47 of the best songs from the past week or so. As usual, we scour the globe in search of new music, and this week’s mega-playlist contains tracks from 15 countries. They include: Australia, Canada, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Japan, […]

We’ve once again split the daily playlist into two. Unlike previous versions, the songs are not divided geographically. They’re just in alphabetical order with the songs on The Matinee ’18 October 9th – Part 1 edition featuring artists beginning with the letters A through D. They’re based in Russia, England, USA, and Australia. To hear Part 2 (letters G to […]

Just like every other year, picking the highlights of a jam-packed Newport Folk Festival is a difficult task because each performance usually has at least one. Given that the schedule is filled with conflicts, it is nearly impossible to see them all. The four of us – Ben, Darren, Dina, and our latest addition Adam – will attempt to do […]

A photo essay from Newport Folk Festival 2018 – Day 2. This is just one of four parts. The other articles highlighting this festival include: Things We Loved at Newport Folk Festival 2018 Day 1 photo essay Day 3 photo essay Photos by: Darren Boucher, Dina MacLeod, and Adam Shanker     MORE PHOTOS IN SLIDER

This year marks the 53rd year of the prestigious Newport Folk Festival (July 27th to 29th), which every music lover must attend at least once in their life. This is easier said than done, of course, because NFF sells out in about 2 minutes when tickets go on sale in late November. The Festival only accommodates 10,000 people around Fort […]

As in previous years, Monday following the first weekend was a “dark” day at Bluesfest with no shows on the schedule. This allows the festival to tweak the grounds as needed while pass holders get a day of rest. Below we share Days 5 through 7. Take a look back of the first four days over here. Day 5 – […]

RBC Bluesfest 2018 week 2 is here! If you’ve been in attendance, you’ve likely already figured out which food vendor is your favourite, which bathrooms have the shortest line at 8 PM, and grabbed some glow-in-the-dark Mardi Gras beads. However, you may still not be sure who to see and with six days of music still ahead, the choices can be […]

It’s the long weekend in Canada, and the Weekend Showcase 4.19 edition is just the playlist for the road trip of the lazy days at the cabin. Find 46 songs on the Showcase, featuring artists from 12 countries, including: Australia, Canada, England, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Sweden, Ukraine, and the United States. The playlist and tracklisting, as […]

When Courtney Barnett announced that her sophomore album, Tell Me How You Really Feel, was coming out this year, she stated the LP would be less meandering than her previous records. This comment raised a few alarm bells. Did this mean that the edgy, witty, and bold songwriting and rollicking indie-rock approach was temporarily (or even permanently) being set aside? […]

Fortress Fest 2018 returned to Fort Worth’s cultural district last weekend, building upon and developing its previous year’s performance. Re-mapping of the festival grounds was the most noticeable improvement. Last year, the two stages were too far apart, forcing concertgoers to make a tedious back and forth walk from Will Rogers to the Modern Art Museum. The festival this year […]

We have a much leaner mega-playlist with just 39 songs on the Weekend Showcase 4.15 edition. While it’s a little shorter, it still plenty awesome with the artists and bands representing 14 countries, including: Australia, Austria, Canada, England, Germany, Greece, Israel, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, Scotland, Sweden, and the United States. The playlist and tracklisting, as usual, follows the […]

The Matinee ’18 April 20th features fun, boisterous, catchy, and even bombastic numbers. The mini-playlist is the perfect gateway into the weekend, so turn up the volume and listen to these nine fabulous songs. Courtney Barnett – “City Looks Pretty” (Melbourne, Australia) RIYL: Courtney Barnett Courtney Barnett stated earlier in the year that her new album would be different and […]

As March continues to roar with wintry temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere, the music is heating up. The Weekend Showcase 4.10 edition is evidence of this with its 50 songs. There’s more of an edge – rock and post-punk in particular – on the mega-playlist as well as some ambient, pop, and electronica. Fourteen countries are represented, including: Australia, Canada, […]

More booming rockers, a groovy funk-soul-disco-pop tune, some psychedelia, and one of the best songs of the year are all featured on The Matinee ’18 March 16th edition. We get things started with one of the great singer-songwriters of the past decade.   Courtney Barnett – “Need A Little Time” (Melbourne, Australia)  RIYL: Courtney Barnett When Courtney Barnett released […]

It was Valentine’s week, and we fell in love with several new artists and bands. We also fell head over heels again for some of indie’s greatest artists, who surprised us with the gift of new songs. To hear what we mean, the Weekend Showcase 4.06 edition reviews the week that was in music. The playlist has 55 songs from 14 […]