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Joined At The Hip: Podcast Explores The Legacy Of The Late, Great Gord Downie In “Discovering Downie”

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You probably know Gord Downie as the greatly missed frontman of Canadian rock legends The Tragically Hip. You may even know that he, along with his bandmates, was made a member of the Order of Canada before his untimely passing from cancer in 2017. But did you know that he also enjoyed a prolific parallel career as a solo artist that continues to this day via posthumous releases?

Jamie “jD” Dew knows. But he’s well aware that not everyone else is quite so clued in. That’s why the Toronto-based superfan has launched a new podcast, Discovering Downie, that’s devoted exclusively to examining its namesake’s lesser-known but still vital output under his own name. And just so less obsessive members of the listening audience don’t feel alienated or intimidated, jD is bringing along three co-hosts who consider themselves big Hip fans as well, yet who are still relatively unschooled in Downie’s solo work. Every episode, Langley, BC’s Craig Rogers, Vermonter Justin St. Louis and Californian Kirk Lane will join jD for a deep dive into the great man’s eight so far solo albums, sharing the thrill of discovery—or in jD’s case, rediscovery—of a creative spirit it took more than one recording contract to exercise. You can check it out at Apple or Spotify.

“The mission of this podcast is to highlight and showcase the solo works of Gord Downie to a cohort of fans that might not be as familiar with it,” jD says. “I put out a call for giant fans of The Tragically Hip who weren’t familiar with Gord’s solo discography, and I had several people reach out. Ultimately, I went with Craig, Justin and Kirk because I thought they each brought something unique to the table.”

You couldn’t ask for a more qualified, complementary bunch. Rogers is an accomplished guitarist/saxophonist who earned degrees in music and education and performed extensively with original bands before joining Tragically Hip tribute outfit Gift Shop. St. Louis is a lifelong devotee of Canadian culture and such a fervent disciple of The Hip that he mentioned them in his wedding vows. And the multifaceted Lane balances his day job as an event technology producer with gigs as a club musician and sometime stage actor. Living in a market where the group were largely unknown, he got to see them in an intimate club setting multiple times, after being brought into the fold by Canadian friends he worked and played hockey with.

“My hope for Discovering Downie is to share the brilliance of Gord’s solo work to the broader community of Hip fans,” says co-host Rogers. “Together, let’s explore the depth of his solo albums by exchanging stories and experiences, enriching our appreciation for his profound artistry.”

The new show builds on jD’s work hosting the 2023 podcast Getting Hip to The Hip, on which he introduced the band to novice listeners Pete Marchica from Malaga, Spain and Tim Lyden (of Portland, Oregon)—neither of whom had even heard of the group before. Five years precious, jD had created the seminal Hip podcast Fully & Completely, which reached the Top 10 on the Apple podcast charts, racked up over 150,000 downloads and inspired a Facebook fan group with nearly 2,000 members.

Discovering Downie will last for 11 episodes. And as with Getting Hip to The Hip before it, its run will include a live show. This one’s set for 7 p.m. Friday, July 19, at the Rec Room, 255 Bremner Blvd., Toronto. Appropriately enough, all proceeds from the event will go to the Gord Downie Fund for Brain Cancer Research. As Downie himself once sang, “Come on, just let’s go.”

Canadian Punk Legend Gene Champagne Flies High On Debut Solo Record ‘Let’s Jet!’

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Pop that cork and raise a toast! Beloved Canadian punk drummer Gene Champagne is stepping out from behind the kit for his long-awaited first solo EP, Let’s Jet!

A fan favorite after decades of pounding the skins for Teenage Head, The Killjoys and playing the guitar and singing with The Un-Teens, Champagne now has his sights set squarely on Renaissance Man status. He’s written, sung and played every part on a four-song tour de force he recorded several years ago in his home studio, and which is only now seeing the light of day. Life, it seems, just got in the way … but more on that later.

The title track/opener lets us know just what we’re in for, and why the wait was entirely worth it. It’s an insanely catchy throwback to the days when punk, power pop and rock and roll lived at the same electric nexus point, and you could still use the music to document simple youthful angst without anybody asking you what you thought about Nicaragua. Champagne spins a tale of adolescent lust and trepidation, his hormones raging with every syllable as he musters up the courage to proposition a potential pickup who’s caught his eye:

We’ve been hanging around here way too long
But there’s a girl dancing to my favorite song
I’m gonna ask her to go for a ride
My knees are shaking, feel like I’m gonna die
I’m walking over, I’m really on my way
Let’s jet
Baby let’s jet
Get ready get set
Baby let’s jet

Champagne’s impassioned vocal delivery is 100 percent authoritative, and his instrumental tracks crackle with the energy of not just classic punk, but also power pop and good old rock and roll. It’s the same on the ep’s other tracks, “Back in My Arms,” “Rock’n’roll Boy” and “Shake Some More,” all of which rock with the joyous unison of an actual band while benefiting from the keen focus of a singular vision.

The vindication of finally having the record out is all the sweeter for the many trials Champagne had to endure along the way. First, his mother died; then he himself contracted a nasty case of covid that landed him in the hospital, where he was put on an ventilator and wound up in a coma for seven days. The story received attention in the national press, with no guarantees offered that Champagne would pull through. When he finally did, and regained his strength to play, fate dealt another cruel hand: Gordie Lewis, Champagne’s bandmate in Teenage Head and his self-described “hero” from the age of 15, was found murdered in his home.

“He was taken away from us, and in a way that was not easy to comprehend or shake,” Champagne says.

Lewis’ memory and spirit live on in Let’s Jet! The title itself comes from a saying Lewis had passed along from Head singer Frankie Venom, and the lyrics to the title song include a reference to their band’s classic track “Ain’t Got No Sense.”

If Lewis is getting to pull any strings from his new vantage point Up There, he’s doing so with a vengeance. Let’s Jet! Has hit the top 10 on indie radio charts around the world, including #1 rankings in the UK, France and Los Angeles. It’s the first time Champagne has gone to the top of any of those charts outside Canada, he notes with pride. And the song has been playlisted on SiriusXM’s Rodney Bingenheimer and Little Steven’s Coolest Songs In The World on the Underground Garage channel.

“These days, things are brighter, and I have learned tough lessons in those past years,” Champagne says. “There’s no time like now, and we are all fragile. I can’t sit on things, and I want to do what I love in the now.

“Here we are today, and it’s time for Let’s Jet! to be put out into the world.”

Over to you, world. You know what to do.

The Muster Point Project’s Indie Pop New Single ‘Don’t Give Me Anything’ Delivers a Sonic Journey Through Ambition’s Pitfalls

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The new indie pop single “Don’t Give Me Anything” from The Muster Point Project (TMPP) is a song about owning up to the pitfalls of ambition. A doggedly persistent drum beat backs up energetic guitar riffs that complement keyboards whose melodies drive us through the sounds of different eras, from 1960s rock to the best of ’80s and mid-aughts indie pop.

TMPP is the creation of singer-songwriter Kevin Franco who, in 40 years of playing music, has cultivated diverse musical influences and a hunger for experimentation with instruments including mandolin, horns, sikus and quena, as well as guitar and percussive instruments. When a certain specialized sound is required, Franco often enlists other professional musicians, and “Don’t Give Me Anything” features Sterling Laws (Liz Phair, Lo Moon, War on Drugs, Olivia Rodrigo) on percussion, Robin Hatch, formerly of the Rural Alberta Advantage (Our Lady Peace, Porno For Pyros) on keys, and Odighizuwa Patience with backing vocals, while Franco covers the guitar, bass, mandolin, vibraslap, vocals and lyrics. The song was produced by Darryll McFadyen, who has worked with Belle and Sebastian, Simple Minds, Trevor Horn and others.

The single, from an album titled It Was Here He Received His Only Formal Education, to come in November 2024, mines Franco’s experiences working in the formidable tech industry and the conflicting set of egos he encountered in building a business that ultimately did not succeed. It wasn’t for lack of trying, and it wasn’t without its bright spots: as a pioneer in transmedia publishing, Franco worked with novelists, musicians, actors, and social media influencers to create story experiences under the brand of One Child, winning awards from the Digital Book Awards along the way.

In the song, four perspectives—which Franco calls the Lawyer, the Accountant, the Investor, and the Entrepreneur—add up to the “general sentiment put forth in the song name and final lyric, ‘I just wanna be alone,’” Franco says. “It also sums up my feelings as the one who failed so painfully hard while fully understanding the risks before proceeding, it’s mine to own.”

And while accepting personal responsibility is important for Franco, the story also critiques glossy showmanship and the randomness of “success” in the corporate world: “Big words, you think you’re the tops / You even fool some with your malaprops / Well you think you’re clever ‘cause you pull in some dough / You’re just the same old clown that we’ve all known.” The music video uses clips from a 1963 public domain film in which a crew of teens wearing monkey masks ride bikes through town, while a lone monkey-teen trails behind them on foot. Lyrically, “Don’t Give Me Anything” ends in a raw state of disillusionment, and musically it wraps up with a high-key tornado of sound, going along with the video’s concluding psychedelic flashes of light.

Stone Temple Pilots Celebrates Purple 30th Anniversary Performing The Album In Full During Summer Tour

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Today marks the 30th anniversary of Purple, Stone Temple Pilots’ chart-topping, multi-platinum second album. In honor of the milestone, the band will perform the entire album each night starting August 16 on their upcoming summer tour.

Stone Temple Pilots – Dean DeLeo, Robert DeLeo, Eric Kretz, and Jeff Gutt – will kick off the tour on June 29 in Traverse City, Michigan. Starting on August 16, the band will join forces with +LIVE+ to co-headline the Jubilee Tour. This 19-city run begins in Concord, California, and wraps up on September 15 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Tickets are on sale now HERE.

Released on June 7, 1994, Purple was the highly anticipated follow-up to Stone Temple Pilots’ 1992 debut, Core, which sold over eight million copies and earned a GRAMMY® Award. Scott Weiland, Dean DeLeo, Robert DeLeo, and Eric Kretz recorded most of Purple in Atlanta with producer Brendan O’Brien.

The album debuted at No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and quickly became a fan favorite, selling over six million copies. Purple features some of the group’s most beloved tracks, including “Interstate Love Song” and “Vasoline,” which topped the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. It also includes “Big Empty,” a song that first appeared on the film soundtrack for The Crow. It was a massive Top 10 hit on mainstream and modern rock charts and won the MTV Movie Award for Best Song in a Movie.

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS Tour Dates
June 29 Traverse City, MI Open Space Park
July 13 Greenville, WI Greenville Lions Park
July 20 Goddard, KS The Dam Jam Music Festival
July 26 Columbus, OH Ohio Expo Center & State Fair
August 3 Leamington, Ontario Seacliff Park Amphitheatre
August 10 Three Forks, MT Rockin’ The Rivers Fest
August 16 Concord, CA Toyota Pavilion at Concord*
August 17 Inglewood, CA YouTube Theater*
August 19 Phoenix, AZ Arizona Financial Theatre*
August 22 Houston, TX The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion*
August 23 Dallas, TX Dos Equis Pavilion*
August 24 Rogers, AR Walmart Amp*
August 27 Pelham, AL Oak Mountain Amphitheatre*
August 28 Tampa, FL MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre*
August 30 Jacksonville, FL Dally’s Place*
August 31 Alpharetta, GA Ameris Bank Amphitheatre*
September 1 Raleigh, NC The Red Hat Amphitheater*
September 4 Bristow, VA Jiffy Lube Live*
September 5 Mansfield, WA Xfinity Center*
September 6 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center*
September 8 Toronto, ON Budweiser Stage*
September 10 Cuyahoga Falls, OH Blossom Music Center*
September 11 Chicago, IL Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island*
September 14 Milwaukee, WI American Family Insurance Amphitheater*
September 15 Indianapolis, IN Ruoff Music Center*
*Playing Purple full album

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss Release Their Rendition of “When The Levee Breaks”

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Today, to celebrate the launch of their extensive summer tour, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss release their own rendition of “When The Levee Breaks” (Rounder Records). With the song having been a part of the country, blues and rock n roll canon for nearly a century, the duo’s smoldering take quickly became a climactic, ephemeral staple of their setlists over the past several years. Now, as more and more fans are getting to experience the fiddle-led, harmony-laden and dirge-like arrangement of a perennial favorite, Plant and Krauss are pleased to present their live version as a gift for all to hear.

“When The Levee Breaks” is Robert Plant and Alison Krauss’ first single since 2021’s chart-topping album, Raise The Roof, and it channels a similar and singular combination of musical energies: “warm, mystical and at times slightly foreboding” (Variety). The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and 27x GRAMMY-winner are currently performing highlights from the record – as well as hits from 2007’s Raising Sand, and choice reimaginings of Led Zeppelin cuts – on a run of nearly 40 dates across North America. Reunited once more, and much sooner than the twelve years that passed between their previous two tours, the two vocalists are joined by an ace ensemble of guitarist JD McPherson, drummer Jay Bellerose, bassist Dennis Crouch, string player Stuart Duncan (who is showcased on the stunning modal fiddle solo), and multi-instrumentalist Viktor Krauss, all of whom can be heard on “When The Levee Breaks.”

After kicking off with a sold-out show at the legendary Cain’s Ballroom earlier this week, with a performance hailed as “a chemistry lesson for the ears” (Tulsa World), Robert Plant and Alison Krauss are continuing on to a series of amphitheaters, pavilions, opera houses and other historic venues from coast to coast, from now until September. They will also join Willie Nelson & Family, Bob Dylan and Celisse for a stint of stops on the Outlaw Music Festival, and recently spoke to NPR’s Weekend Edition, Rolling Stone, USA Todayand Billboard about what crowds can expect on this tour, named one of the summer’s most anticipated by Pitchfork, Entertainment Weekly, AARP and more.

Can’t Let Go Tour 2024
6/7 – Prior Lake, MN – Mystic Lake Amphitheater*
6/8 – Madison, WI – Breese Stevens Field*
6/11 – Des Moines, IA – Lauridsen Amphitheater at Waterworks Park*
6/12 – Highland Park, IL – Ravinia Festival*
6/14 – Toledo, OH – Toledo Zoo & Aquarium – Amphitheater*
6/15 – Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake*
6/18 – Vienna, VA – Wolf Trap*
6/19 – Vienna, VA – Wolf Trap*
6/21 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre^
6/22 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion^
6/23 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek^
6/26 – Virginia Beach, VA – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach^
6/28 – Syracuse, NY – Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview^
6/29 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater^
6/30 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center^
7/2 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center^
7/4 – Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion – Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic
7/6 – Bethel, NY – Bethel Woods Center For the Arts^
7/7 – Hershey, PA – Hersheypark Stadium^
8/8 – Missoula, MT – KettleHouse Amphitheater*
8/9 – Missoula, MT – KettleHouse Amphitheater*
8/11 – Edmonton, AB – Edmonton Folk Music Festival
8/13 – Vancouver, BC – Queen Elizabeth Theatre*
8/14 – Vancouver, BC – Queen Elizabeth Theatre*
8/16 – Seattle, WA – Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery*
8/17 – Seattle, WA – Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery*
8/19 – Eugene, OR – The Cuthbert Amphitheater*
8/21 – Murphy’s, CA – Ironstone Amphitheatre*
8/22 – Stanford, CA – Frost Amphitheater*
8/24 – Paso Robles, CA – Vina Robles Amphitheatre*
8/25 – Highland, CA – Yaamava’ Theater*
8/26 – Flagstaff, AZ – Pepsi Amphitheater*
8/28 – Santa Fe, NM – The Santa Fe Opera*
8/29 – Santa Fe, NM – The Santa Fe Opera*
8/31 – Colorado Springs, CO – Ford Amphitheater*
9/1 – Vail, CO – Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater*
*w/ JD McPherson
^Outlaw Music Festival w/ Willie Nelson & Family, Bob Dylan, Celisse

Kendrick Lamar Gives Surprise Commencement Speech At Compton College

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Kendrick Lamar delivered a surprise commencement speech at Compton College’s Class of 2024 graduation on Friday, leaving the audience inspired and electrified. The Grammy-winning artist and Compton native shared personal stories of perseverance, resilience, and the importance of education, emphasizing the transformative power of knowledge and self-belief. Lamar’s heartfelt words resonated deeply with the graduates, many of whom hail from similar backgrounds. The speech begins at the 40-minute mark.

SiriusXM Announces Exclusive Coverage for 2024 U.S. Open Championship

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SiriusXM announced today its programming coverage for the 124th U.S. Open Championship. As the exclusive national audio broadcaster of the U.S. Open, SiriusXM will deliver listeners nationwide more than 40 hours of live coverage across all four days of Championship play – Thursday, June 13th through Sunday, June 16th – from Course No. 2 at Pinehurst Resort and Country Club in North Carolina.

On Thursday and Friday, SiriusXM’s coverage will extend from the day’s first tee time through the end of play. On the weekend, SiriusXM’s on-course coverage will begin at 10 am ET on Saturday and Sunday and run through the completion of play both days. If a playoff occurs, SiriusXM will provide live coverage of every shot played.

U.S. Open Week on SiriusXM programming is available to subscribers nationwide in their cars (channel 92) and on the SiriusXM app.

SiriusXM’s U.S. Open Championship broadcast team will feature Taylor Zarzour and Brian Katrek handling play-by-play duties, alongside lead analyst Mark Carnevale. Three-time U.S. Open Champion Hale Irwin will join the SiriusXM team in the booth to provide analysis on Thursday and Friday.

Maureen Madill, Emelia Migliaccio, John Maginnes and Carl Paulson will be on-course reporters. The SiriusXM team will also include Jason Sobel and Jim McLean, who will provide commentary and conduct interviews with players. Immediately following each round, listeners will hear a two-hour wrap-up of the day’s play, hosted by Gary Williams.

“Pinehurst No. 2 is one of the most challenging courses in the world. With the best players in golf set to compete there we’re excited to bring listeners inside the ropes from the start of the Championship to the finish,” said Scott Greenstein, SiriusXM’s President and Chief Content Officer. “With more than 40 hours of live hole-by-hole coverage, and in-depth specials on U.S. Open history and more, we’re going to bring our audience closer to what is annually one of the best events in golf.”

U.S. Open Week programming

U.S. Open Week programming on SiriusXM will feature live original programming starting at 7 am ET each weekday leading up to the Championship. Listeners will hear multiple notable programs and specials including:

  • “Payne and Me” – This hour-long special features Payne Stewart’s longtime caddie, Mike Hicks, taking listeners back to Stewart’s memorable 1999 U.S. Open victory at Pinehurst No. 2. Stewart overcame a one-stroke deficit over the final three holes to win his second U.S. Open with a 15-foot putt on 18, capped by the now indelible image of Stewart’s fist pump on the 18th green. Hicks shares his memories of that day with SiriusXM’s Gary Williams and walks listeners through Stewart’s play over the final three holes. Though Stewart’s life was tragically cut short in a plane crash just a few months after that 1999 U.S. Open, Williams and Hicks look at the three-time major winner’s long-lasting legacy in the game. Listeners can hear the special anytime on the SiriusXM app: https://sxm.app.link/PayneandMe
  • “The Lucas Glover Show” – Tuesday at 8 pm ET – hosted by 2009 U.S. Open Champion Lucas Glover.
  • “The Rocco Hour” – Monday and Tuesday at 6 pm ET – hosted by Rocco Mediate, who thrilled fans with his duel with Tiger Woods at the 2008 U.S. Open.
  • “ANNIKA” – Tuesday at 7 pm ET – hosted by one of the game’s legendary players and three-time U.S. Women’s Open champion, Annika Sorenstam.

Throughout the year, SiriusXM’s weekday golf programming lineup features live shows starting at 7 am ET that offer news, analysis, expert instruction and more.  For more go to SiriusXM.com/golfonsxm.

The U.S. Open Championship, conducted by the USGA, is the ultimate test of golf for the best players in the world. Played on America’s greatest courses, the U.S. Open annually provides thousands of golfers of all backgrounds the opportunity to qualify through a rigorous two-stage process. SiriusXM’s U.S. Open broadcast rights come through its agreement with the United States Golf Association and NBCUniversal, the principal domestic media partner of the USGA.

‘Melissa Etheridge: I’m Not Broken’ Official Trailer Is Out

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Melissa Etheridge: I’m Not Broken, a 2-part docuseries, premieres July 9, exclusively on Paramount+. The new docuseries tells an inspiring story of healing and transcendence through the power of music when five female residents from the Topeka Correctional Facility, a women’s prison in Kansas, write letters to Etheridge that she uses as inspiration to create and perform an original song for them. Melissa Etheridge works to understand and interrupt the cycle of addiction while connecting with these women who, so often, are forgotten by society.

J.S. Bach – Crab Canon on a Möbius Strip

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The enigmatic Canon 1 à 2 from J. S. Bachs Musical Offering (1747), The manuscript depicts a single musical sequence that is to be played front to back and back to front.

National Music Centre Launches New Exhibition Commemorating 60th Anniversary of The Beatles’ Arrival in Canada

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Shake it up. Twist and shout. It’s time to celebrate the 60th anniversary of The Beatles’ arrival in Canada. On July 10, the National Music Centre (NMC) in Calgary will open a new exhibition, From Me to You: The Beatles in Canada 1964-1966, which offers a nostalgic tribute to the band’s transformative years upon arriving in Canada for the first time.

The display captures the cultural landscape of Canada in the 1960s, and the frenzied excitement of Beatlemania that swept across the country. Adorned with rare photographs, memorabilia and audiovisual treasures, the exhibition will transport visitors to the landmark moment when The Beatles invaded Canada’s consciousness and ignited a nation’s fervour.

“This exhibition is a must-see for any Beatles fan who wants to relive the band’s early years, and the cultural influence it brought to Canada,” said Piers Hemmingsen, music historian and author of The Beatles in Canada: The Origins of Beatlemania, who loaned NMC much of the items in the exhibition. “While much of the attention around Beatlemania was focused on the U.S., Canada was first to recognize the band and embrace its music. This exhibition is sure to bring back cherished memories that capture the spirit of that unforgettable time.”

From the band’s electrifying performances in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal, nearly drowned out by the sounds of screaming fans, to the impact on pop culture that ensued, each artifact tells a story of the Fab Four’s indelible impact on Canadian music history. The exhibit not only showcases The Beatles’ musical evolution during this period, but also highlights its cultural influence.

“We are thrilled to commemorate this milestone anniversary with an exhibition that celebrates The Beatles’ monumental impact on music and culture in Canada,” said Andrew Mosker, President and CEO of the National Music Centre. “From Me to You: The Beatles in Canada 1964-1966 offers a unique opportunity for visitors to relive the excitement of Beatlemania. This exhibition is a testament to the band’s enduring influence after landing in North America 60 years ago.”

 

From Me to You: The Beatles in Canada 1964-1966 is accessible with paid admission to Studio Bell and will run from July 10, 2024 until January 5, 2025. For more information on hours and admission, visit studiobell.ca/general-admission.