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Canadian Songwriters Hall of Famer Marc Jordan Announces New Biography, Audiophile Collection, and Ontario Tour

Eric Alper
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Canadian Songwriters Hall of Famer Marc Jordan Announces New Biography, Audiophile Collection, and Ontario Tour

Marc Jordan, the visionary Brooklyn-born, Toronto-raised singer-songwriter whose work has defined the landscape of popular music for over fifty years, today announces a multi-dimensional celebration of his storied career. With the release of his authorized biography, Rhythm of My Heart, a chart-topping audiophile collection, and an intimate series of live performances, Jordan continues to expand his legacy as one of the most essential voices in the musical canon.

Central to this season’s activity is the launch of Rhythm of My Heart: The Authorized Biography of Marc Jordan, penned by acclaimed author and musician Don Breithaupt. On Sunday, April 19, Jordan and Breithaupt will host an official launch event at Hugh’s Room Live in Toronto. The afternoon promises an unprecedented deep dive into the life of a songwriter whose compositions have sold over 35 million units, exploring his artistic evolution from the “slick, slippery” West Coast sound of the late seventies to his recent, critically acclaimed orchestral masterworks.

The biography offers a vivid window into Jordan’s unique creative process, including his “savant-like” ability to visualize music in three dimensions—a gift he cultivated while navigating profound dyslexia. The song serves as the heartbeat of a narrative that celebrates redemption through art and the unwavering dedication to the craft of songwriting.

Simultaneously, Jordan is captivating the audiophile community with the release of Marc Jordan: The Collection on the 2xHD Fusion label. Already storming the high-definition streaming charts—reaching #3 on ProStudioMasters and the Top 10 on NativeDSD—the album utilizes a sophisticated remastering process that blends digital precision with the harmonic warmth of analog. Produced by the legendary Lou Pomanti, the collection reimagines classic Jordan material in a lush, soft-jazz environment, allowing listeners to hear subtle textures and spatial cues with newfound clarity.

The celebration of Jordan’s “Renaissance Man” status continues Friday, April 24, at The Rosedale Centre, where Marc will join fellow Juno nominee Amy Sky for an intimate concert and art show. This event highlights Jordan’s prowess as a visual artist, featuring an exhibition of his unique Flattmuzik Paintings. The evening will showcase the duo’s individual hits and stunning duets from their celebrated album He Sang She Sang, offering fans a rare glimpse into the intersection of their personal and professional creative lives.

Looking toward the summer, Jordan will take these stories and sounds on the road for a select June Tour across Ontario theatres. Accompanied by a stellar ensemble of musicians—including Lou Pomanti (piano), Rich Moore (bass), Kevan McKenzie (drums), and Mark Lalama (accordion/keyboards)—these performances will render each song as a cinematic, autobiographical experience. As Bonnie Raitt once remarked, “When I sing a Marc Jordan song, it’s hard to make it sound as good as when he sings it himself.”

From the halls of the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame to the cutting edge of audiophile technology, Marc Jordan remains at the height of his expressive power. Whether through the written word, the painted canvas, or the perfectly crafted pop song, Jordan continues to whisk listeners off to another world, blurred between the lines of jazz, pop, and pure poetic delivery.

UPCOMING EVENTS & TOUR DATES:

Book Launch: Rhythm of My Heart

  • April 19: Toronto, ON – Hugh’s Room Live (5:00 PM)

Concert & Art Show: Marc Jordan & Amy Sky

  • April 24: Toronto, ON – The Rosedale Centre (7:30 PM)

Marc Jordan… The Rhythm of My Heart June Tour

  • June 9: Ancaster, ON – Memorial Arts Centre
  • June 10: Owen Sound, ON – Roxy Theatre
  • June 11: Orillia, ON – Orillia Opera House
  • June 12: Huntsville, ON – Algonquin Theatre
  • June 13: London, ON – Aeolian Hall

Tom Wilson (Tehoháhake) Releases New Video “We Live In Dreams,” Co-Written With Tanya Talaga, Featured in Documentary Ni-Naadamaadiz: Red Power Rising

Eric Alper
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Tom Wilson (Tehoháhake) Releases New Video “We Live In Dreams,” Co-Written With Tanya Talaga, Featured in Documentary Ni-Naadamaadiz: Red Power Rising

Celebrated Canadian musician, author, and visual artist Tom Wilson (Tehoháhake) today releases his luminous new video for “We Live In Dreams,” co-written with award-winning Anishinaabe journalist, storyteller, and filmmaker Tanya Talaga. Produced by Tom Wilson and mixed by Gary Furniss at The Stonehouse, the song is a stirring and deeply felt anthem of Indigenous resilience, cultural pride, and the unshakeable power of community, and arrives as one of the most meaningful recordings of Wilson’s remarkable career.

“We Live In Dreams” serves as the emotional centrepiece of the powerful new documentary Ni-Naadamaadiz: Red Power Rising, directed by Shane Belcourt and produced by Talaga’s production company Makwa Creative. The film resurrects and restores the buried history of a pivotal 1974 land-back occupation led by Louis Cameron, an Indian Residential School Survivor and founder of the Ojibway Warriors Society, an act of extraordinary courage that drew members of the American Indian Movement and ultimately brought the Native Caravan to Parliament Hill. Belcourt, who also directed and shot the song’s music video, brings the same unflinching visual storytelling to the single’s release.

The song was born from the creative partnership between two of Canada’s most essential Indigenous voices. Wilson and Talaga, whose groundbreaking books Seven Fallen Feathers and All Our Relations and Canadian Screen Award-winning docuseries The Knowing have reshaped conversations around Indigenous truth-telling, channelled the documentary’s spirit directly into the music. “We are here to give everything we’ve got to honour the warrior hearts who have dodged bullets, cut through razor wire and thrown their lives on the line to free the spirit of our people,” Wilson has said. “We are here to create art to fight the hate and the violence towards our people. We are here to tell the truth. We are here to stand for love and we are here to win with love.”

A multi-JUNO Award-winning artist known for his work with Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, Lee Harvey Osmond, and Junkhouse, as well as his bestselling memoir Beautiful Scars, Tom Wilson has spent decades building a body of work that honours his Mohawk heritage and insists on the truth. “We Live In Dreams” marks a new chapter in that legacy, a song written with intention, recorded with love, and offered to the world as both art and advocacy.

Ni-Naadamaadiz: Red Power Rising premieres on CBC’s Channel 1 on Sunday, May 24, 2026 at 9pm ET, with both versions available on CBC Gem beginning June 1, 2026. “We Live In Dreams” is available now on all streaming platforms. The single is released with funding support from the Ontario Arts Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario.

ABOUT TOM WILSON (Tehoháhake): Tom Wilson is a multi-JUNO Award-winning musician, bestselling author, and acclaimed visual artist whose work reflects his Mohawk heritage and lifelong dedication to truth-telling through art, music, and story. He is known for his work with Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, Lee Harvey Osmond, and Junkhouse, and as the author of the bestselling memoir Beautiful Scars.

ABOUT TANYA TALAGA: Tanya Talaga is an Anishinaabe journalist, author, filmmaker, and storyteller and the founder of Makwa Creative. She is best known for Seven Fallen Feathers, All Our Relations, and the Canadian Screen Award-winning docuseries The Knowing.

Canadian Blues Music Awards Crown First-Ever Winners at Landmark Toronto Gala

Eric Alper
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Canadian Blues Music Awards Crown First-Ever Winners at Landmark Toronto Gala

The Canadian Blues Music Awards made history Monday night at The Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto, crowning the first-ever winners of Canada’s new national blues recognition programme across 16 competitive categories. The inaugural gala brought together the finest performers in Canadian blues for a landmark celebration that was more than an awards show. It was a statement about the depth, diversity, and resilience of blues music in this country.

The evening’s biggest winner was Brandon Isaak, who took home Electric Blues Recording of the Year, Blues Song of the Year for “Walkin’ With The Blues,” and Blues Guitarist of the Year, all for his album ‘Walkin’ With The Blues.’ Steve Marriner claimed Blues Producer of the Year for his work on three recordings: ‘Hear My Heart,’ Big Dave McLean’s ‘This Old Life,’ and David Gogo’s ‘YEAH!’ Sue Foley won Acoustic Blues Recording of the Year for ‘One Guitar Woman, A Tribute to the Female Pioneers of Guitar.’ Crystal Shawanda took Female Blues Vocalist of the Year for ‘Sing Pretty Blues,’ while Marcus Trummer claimed Male Blues Vocalist of the Year for ‘From The Start.’ Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne won Blues Keyboard Player of the Year for ‘Ooh, Yeah!’, and Ollee Owens was named Emerging Blues Artist or Group of the Year for ‘Nowhere to Hide.’

The Canadian Blues Music Awards is a fully independent, incorporated national not-for-profit organization built from the ground up with a mandate to govern, develop, and operate Canada’s premier blues recognition programme. Initially formed in spring 2024 by Brant Zwicker and Cindy McLeod, the CBMA Governing Committee spent more than a year in extensive research, national consultation, and programme development before incorporating as an independent organization. All artist category awards are decided exclusively by a jury panel of industry professionals drawn from a national pool spanning radio, print, labels, engineering, production, promotion, academia, associations, festivals, and venues. “The Canadian Blues Music Awards represents a complete overhaul,” said Quisha Wint, Chair of the Toronto Blues Society. “A whole new programme created to serve the Canadian blues community with greater transparency, fairness, and unity from coast to coast to coast.”

Lifetime Achievement honours was presented to Tim Williams for his contribution to Canadian blues. The gala also featured live performances from Steve Marriner, Crystal Shawanda, Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne, Brandon Isaak, and Dana Wylie of Secondhand Dreamcar, with host Danny Marks opening the evening. The after-party featured sets from emerging artist nominees Glenn Marais and The Mojo Train, Ollee Owens, JP LeBlanc, and Secondhand Dreamcar.

The Canadian Blues Music Awards are now established as the gold standard of blues recognition in Canada, a programme built on transparency, coast-to-coast representation, and a genuine commitment to the music and the people who make it.

2025 Canadian Blues Music Awards Winners:

Emerging Blues Artist or Group of the Year

Ollee Owens (Ollee Owens: Nowhere to Hide)

Blues Song of the Year

Brandon Isaak: Walkin’ With The Blues (Walkin’ With The Blues)

Acoustic Blues Recording of the Year

Sue Foley: One Guitar Woman, A Tribute to the Female Pioneers of Guitar

Electric Blues Recording of the Year

Brandon Isaak: Walkin’ With The Blues

Blues Producer of the Year

Steve Marriner (Steve Marriner: Hear My Heart; Big Dave McLean: This Old Life; David Gogo: YEAH!)

Female Blues Vocalist of the Year

Crystal Shawanda (Crystal Shawanda: Sing Pretty Blues)

Male Blues Vocalist of the Year

Marcus Trummer (Marcus Trummer: From The Start)

Blues Guitarist of the Year

Brandon Isaak (Brandon Isaak: Walkin’ With The Blues)

Blues Keyboard Player of the Year

Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne (Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne: Ooh, Yeah!)

Blues Harmonica Player of the Year TIE

Guy Bélanger (Guy Bélanger: Postcards from London)

Steve Marriner (Steve Marriner: Hear My Heart; Big Dave McLean: This Old Life; David Gogo: YEAH!)

Blues Horn Player of the Year

Jerry Cook (Wailin’ Walker: All Fired Up)

Blues Drummer of the Year TIE:

Jim Casson (Davis Hall & The Green Lanterns: Canboro Canborough)

Sylvain “Sly” Coulombe (Chambers DesLauriers: Our Time To Ride)

Blues Bassist of the Year

Jasmine Colette (Blue Moon Marquee: New Orleans Sessions)

Blues Video of the Year

The Harpoonist: Show Me The Green (Did We Come Here To Dance)

Blues Industry Person of the Year TIE:

Bruce Morel (Morel Music International)

Ken Simms (Think Tank Music Network)

Lifetime Achievement Recipient

Tim Williams

Fan Favourite Award for Blues Artist or Group of the Year

Blue Moon Marquee

Fresh Breath, Irish Millie, and Donita Large Win Their Way to Sweden in the Inaugural North2North Competition

Eric Alper
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Fresh Breath, Irish Millie, and Donita Large Win Their Way to Sweden in the Inaugural North2North Competition

The inaugural North2North: The Artist Gateway competition has named its winners – and three extraordinary Canadian indie artists are heading to Sweden. Fresh Breath, Irish Millie, and Donita Large have each earned a spot in a Canadian contingent travelling to Lilla By Festivalen in Rinkaby, Sweden on June 12 and 13, 2026, where they will perform on the main stage and in the beloved Kanaladan – the festival’s very own Canada Barn. This is the first time a competition of this kind has opened a direct performance pipeline between Canadian indie artists and one of Sweden’s most warmly regarded independent festivals.

The three winners represent the full breadth of what Canadian independent music sounds like right now. Lilla By Festivalen co-founders Malin Osth and Jonas Tancred – who will host the Canadian contingent in Rinkaby – said it best: “This year’s winners highlight the scope and talent of Canadian music, from the warm Canadiana harmonies of Fresh Breath to the Celtic pop rock energy of Irish Millie and the emotional voice of Donita Large. We are truly excited to welcome these fantastic artists to perform at the Lilla By Festivalen 2026 and look forward to sharing their music with our audience in Sweden.”

North2North is produced and presented by Cashbox Canada, Lilla By Festivalen, Rise & Reign, and EMG Collectives – a coalition built on eight-plus years of cross-Atlantic music relationship-building between Canada and Sweden. The competition was open to all Canadian indie artists, with every submission receiving a written assessment and feedback from a panel of top-tier adjudicators. “The relationship between Canada, Sweden and the Lilla By Festivalen has been growing every year,” says Sandy Graham, Publisher of Cashbox Canada and North2North producer. “I couldn’t be prouder to be Canadian at this time in a world that sees what an amazing country we have and the music speaks for itself. Tack sa mycket Lilla By Festivalen!”

The prize packages – valued at up to $12,000 CAD – include two performances each at Lilla By Festivalen, full accommodations in Rinkaby, cover and feature stories in Cashbox Canada and Record World International, radio rotation on Cashbox Radio, artist development sessions, grant writing support, recording sessions, and social media video packages. In addition, producer Vance McKenzie will be on the ground in Sweden and will select one Swedish artist to perform in Canada before the end of 2026 – extending the exchange in both directions. Producer Ashley Andrews added: “Music doesn’t recognize borders, and initiatives like this prove that great songs and creative collaborations can travel far beyond geography.”

Lilla By Festivalen – founded in 2021 by Malin Osth and Jonas Tancred on their own private land in the Swedish countryside of Skane County – has grown into a beloved hub for music, culture, and community. The festival’s Kanaladan (Canada Barn) stands as a symbol of the deep ties between the two countries. North2North adjudicators included Sandy Graham (Cashbox Canada/Record World International/Cashbox Radio), Eric Alper (That Eric Alper PR), Vance McKenzie (Vance Music World), Lisa Hartt (Juno-nominated singer-songwriter), Ashley Andrews (Rise & Reign), and Malin Osth and Jonas Tancred of Lilla By Festivalen. North2North is a competition, a showcase, a mentorship programme, and a bridge – all at once. For the artists heading to Rinkaby this June, it is the start of something that reaches well beyond any single performance.

A Toronto Writer Is Walking to All 100 Toronto Public Library Branches in 10 Days to Honour Her Late Mother

Eric Alper
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A Toronto Writer Is Walking to All 100 Toronto Public Library Branches in 10 Days to Honour Her Late Mother

A Toronto writer is about to undertake one of the most personal and physically demanding tributes the city has seen in some time. From April 7 to 16, Marci Stepak will walk more than 300 kilometres to all 100 branches of the Toronto Public Library over 10 consecutive days, honouring the memory of her late mother and raising funds for the TPL Foundation.

The walk lands on the very day of the first anniversary of her mother’s death. A lifelong Torontonian who held a TPL card for more than 50 years, Stepak’s mother believed deeply that curiosity should cost nothing and knowledge should belong to everyone. A few days before she died, in the same conversation where funeral plans were discussed, she reminded Marci to return her library books “so other people can enjoy them too.” That detail says everything about who she was.

Stepak will cover roughly 30 kilometres a day, rain or shine, across the full geography of the city, from Etobicoke to Scarborough, through midtown, East York, and the Beaches, finishing at the Toronto Reference Library, her personal favourite branch. The route took hours of painstaking planning on Google Maps, as no mapping tool exists for this kind of undertaking. Full maps and the daily calendar are available at beingmarci.ca/map-calendar for anyone who wants to follow along or join her in their neighbourhood.

Funds raised support the Toronto Public Library Foundation, with a focus on programmes for older adults, including outreach initiatives that reduce isolation and build connection. These are the programmes Stepak’s mother relied on in her later years, and they mattered deeply to her. At a time when public space feels increasingly fragile, the walk is both a tribute and a visible act of civic gratitude.

Torontonians are encouraged to come out and walk alongside Stepak for any portion of the route. She will be documenting the journey daily and sharing stories about the role libraries have played in people’s lives. More information is available at everylibraryTO.com and on Instagram at @beingmarci. Marci is available for interviews and can provide route details, background, and visuals.

A Toronto writer is walking to all 100 Toronto Public Library branches over 10 days starting April 7, honouring her late mother and raising funds for the TPL Foundation. Join her at beingmarci.ca/map-calendar.

Western Canadian Music Awards 2026 Open Submissions for Artists and Industry

Eric Alper
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Western Canadian Music Awards 2026 Open Submissions for Artists and Industry

Western Canadian Music Awards 2026 submissions are now open, giving artists and industry professionals across the region a major opportunity to be recognized on one of Canada’s biggest stages.

Open to both artistic and industry categories, the awards highlight excellence across genres including pop, rock, country, R&B, hip-hop, jazz, electronic, and more, alongside specialty honours like BreakOut Artist of the Year, Indigenous Artist of the Year, and Producer of the Year.

New for 2026, the program introduces an Afrobeats Artist of the Year category, reflecting the continued growth and diversity of Western Canada’s music scene.

Early bird pricing is available for a limited time, with the final submission deadline set for April 15, 2026. Applicants must create a profile through Awardstage to begin the submission process.

Whether you are releasing your first project or building momentum in the industry, this is a key chance to gain recognition, connect with peers, and elevate your work on a national level.

Apply here: https://breakoutwest.ca/awards-guidelines/

Weezer’s Very First Studio Sessions Surface on Vinyl as ‘1192’ for Record Store Day 2026

Eric Alper
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Weezer’s Very First Studio Sessions Surface on Vinyl as ‘1192’ for Record Store Day 2026

Before the Blue Album. Before the record deal. Before any of it. Weezer’s very first studio sessions, recorded in November 1992, are finally seeing the light of day as ‘1192,’ an LP releasing April 18th via Ernest Jenning Record Co. as an RSD First Release, limited to just 3,000 copies. This is the kind of discovery that genuinely rewrites the opening chapter of a band’s story.

Weezer founding member and original bassist Matt Sharp found the sessions while digging through a collection of lost master recordings, a single reel of 1-inch Ampex tape sitting at the bottom of a treasure chest of other masters. What he and legendary producer Joe Chiccarelli found when they took it to East/West Studios in Los Angeles was the original lineup, including guitarist Jason Cropper, playing raw, explosive early versions of “Say It Ain’t So” and “Undone (The Sweater Song),” the very recordings that landed Weezer their record deal. The decision was made to honour the technology of the era entirely. Every track was remixed from tape to vinyl in a 100% analog process, Sharp producing and Chiccarelli on the mix.

The result is ‘1192,’ named for the month and year it was recorded, a 10-track LP that stands entirely on its own while also reframing everything that followed. Hearing these songs in this form, feral and ecstatically alive, before the polish of the Blue Album, is a genuinely revelatory experience for anyone who grew up with that record.

For Blue Album devotees, this is essential. For anyone curious about how one of alternative rock’s most iconic debuts came to be, it’s an invaluable document.

‘1192’ Tracklisting:

Side One:

  1. No One Else – Take 1 (1192 Mix)
  2. Say It Ain’t So – Take 2 (1192 Mix)
  3. Undone – The Sweater Song (1192 Acoustic Mix)
  4. The World Has Turned And Left Me Here (1192 Mix)
  5. Surf Wax America (1192 Mix)

Side Two:

  1. Say It Ain’t So (1192 Vocal and Guitar Mix)
  2. The World Has Turned And Left Me Here (1192 Vocal and Guitar Mix)
  3. Undone – The Sweater Song (1192 Band Mix)
  4. No One Else – Take 2 (1192 Mix)
  5. Say It Ain’t So – Take 1 (1192 Mix)

Billy Strings Brings His Tiny Desk Concert to Vinyl for Record Store Day 2026

Eric Alper
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Billy Strings Brings His Tiny Desk Concert to Vinyl for Record Store Day 2026

Billy Strings played NPR’s Tiny Desk on November 6th, 2025, and the performance was special enough to press onto wax. On April 18th, Record Store Day 2026 brings that set to life as a limited 12-inch EP on Milky White vinyl, pressed to just 7,000 copies via Reprise Records. It’s one of the most compelling RSD releases of the year for any fan of acoustic music done at the highest possible level.

The four-track EP captures Strings at his most intimate, featuring fan favorites “Red Daisy” and “Gild the Lily” alongside “My Alice” and “Malfunction Junction.” Tiny Desk sets have a way of stripping an artist down to their essential qualities, and Strings, whose Grammy-winning album ‘Highway Prayers’ has already cemented his place as one of the most gifted players of his generation, delivers exactly that kind of performance here.

Strings is currently back on the road in support of ‘Highway Prayers,’ and the demand for his live shows continues to grow with every tour cycle. The Tiny Desk EP is a perfect document of where he is as an artist right now, focused, precise, and completely compelling in a room with no room to hide.

7,000 copies. April 18th. Find your copy first.

‘Tiny Desk’ EP Tracklisting:

  1. Red Daisy
  2. My Alice
  3. Malfunction Junction
  4. Gild the Lily

Bruce Springsteen Brings His Asbury Park Homecoming to Vinyl for Record Store Day 2026

Eric Alper
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Bruce Springsteen Brings His Asbury Park Homecoming to Vinyl for Record Store Day 2026

Bruce Springsteen has called it one of the top three shows he’s ever played, and on April 18th, Record Store Day gives everyone else the chance to hear why. ‘Live From Asbury Park 2024,’ a 5LP set on Legacy Recordings capturing Springsteen and the E Street Band’s headlining performance at the 2024 Sea.Hear.Now festival, arrives as an RSD Exclusive Release in a limited quantity of 6,050 copies.

The show was a genuine homecoming. Springsteen set aside his standard setlist and reached back to the early days, pulling out rarities like “Blinded By the Light,” “Thundercrack,” “Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street?,” and “4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy),” songs written when he was still playing clubs around a then-derelict Asbury Park. On this night, he delivered them to 35,000 fans on the beach of a fully restored town. “I put that in one of the top five or three shows we’ve ever done,” Springsteen told Rolling Stone. “To be there for its rebirth and when it came back to life, and to see that happen on that beach in front of us on a beautiful September night was one of the loveliest performing experiences of my life.”

Spanning over three hours, the 5LP set covers the full arc of Springsteen’s catalog, from early deep cuts through landmark songs like “Thunder Road,” “Born To Run,” “Jungleland,” and “Dancing In The Dark.” It’s available on vinyl for the first time, and the tracklist alone makes it one of the most compelling RSD releases of the year.

Record Store Day 2026 also includes Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts’ ‘The Live Album,’ Fall Out Boy’s live Madison Square Garden set, Brandi Carlile’s ‘Live at Easy Street Records Vol. II,’ and a collaborative LP from The Doors’ John Densmore and Public Enemy’s Chuck D.

Tracklist
Side A
1. Lonesome Day
2. Blinded By The Light
3. Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street?
4. Growin’ Up
Side B
1. The Promised Land
2. Spirit In The Night
Side C
1. Thundercrack
2. The E Street Shuffle
3. Fourth of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)
Side D
1. Hungry Heart
2. Local Hero
3. Atlantic City
Side E
1. Tougher Than The Rest
2. Long Walk Home
3. Racing In The Street
Side F
1. Because The Night
2. She’s The One
3. Wrecking Ball
4. The Rising
Side G
1. Badlands
2. Thunder Road
3. Meeting Across The River
Side H
1. Jungleland
2. Born To Run
Side I
1. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
2. Bobby Jean
3. Dancing In The Dark
Side J
1. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
2. Twist And Shout
3. Jersey Girl

Punk Supergroup Codefendants Drop New Album ‘Lifers’ and Team Up With Hip-Hop Legend The D.O.C.

Eric Alper
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Punk Supergroup Codefendants Drop New Album ‘Lifers’ and Team Up With Hip-Hop Legend The D.O.C.

Codefendants have been making the case that punk and hip-hop belong in the same room since day one, and ‘Lifers,’ their sophomore album out now, pushes that argument further than anything they’ve done before. Fat Mike, Sam King of Get Dead, and Julio “Ceschi” Ramos are locked in, and new single “Rivals” featuring The D.O.C. is the album’s most direct statement of intent yet.

The D.O.C., whose songwriting fingerprints are all over N.W.A., Snoop Dogg, and Dr. Dre’s ‘The Chronic,’ brings genuine authority to his opening verse, drawing direct parallels between gang culture in Compton and punk’s own street-level tribalism. Fat Mike sets the scene: “I was hanging with DOC, and he was telling me stories of gang life in Compton. I told him that there were punk gangs, too. He didn’t believe me. Then I told him about FFF and LADS and Suicidals. Then he wrote his verses to ‘Rivals.’ It’s pretty fucking awesome that the fuckin’ D.O.C. and I got to work on another song together.”

Ceschi frames the broader context with precision: “Our second track with the legendary D.O.C. stems from conversations about how punk and hip hop are overlapping counter-cultural movements that came out of a similar time period with similar ideals. Since we started Codefendants, we’ve been confronted by gatekeepers not understanding that we genuinely grew up in both of these worlds.” Fat Mike’s music for the track draws directly from the slower, sludgier punk of the early ’80s, giving the collaboration a foundation that’s rooted and real. The D.O.C. keeps it simple: “Being a Codefendant is one of the best parts of making music today. They don’t give a shit what my voice sounds like as long as it’s on beat.”

With ‘Lifers’ out now, Codefendants have upcoming dates at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on April 18th with Sublime, the Sublime Me Gusta Festival in Fort Worth on May 9th, and the Sublime Cruise sailing from Miami in November.

Codefendants Upcoming Tour Dates:

Apr 18 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre (with Sublime)

May 9 – Fort Worth, TX @ Sublime Me Gusta Festival

Nov 15-19 – Sublime Cruise, sailing from Miami, FL

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That Eric Alper

Eric Alper is a 6-time nominee for Publicist of the Year during Canadian Music Week and has overseen the publicity campaigns for over 183 JUNO Award-nominated albums (and 16 in 2025), 45 Grammy-nominated albums, including 47 JUNO Award, 58 Canadian Folk Music Award, 126 Maple Blues Award-winning albums and is also truly honoured to work with some of the biggest and most important artists of our time.

Contact me: eric@thatericalper.com

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