This will be a record-breaking season at Budweiser Stage with over 70 shows, over 20 new headlining acts, and a lineup with something for everyone!
The 2023 season was a huge one for me as one of my fave bands of all time – Tears For Fears played this summer and got to take Hannah with me! Not only that, the venue you all know and love has gotten even better.
Budweiser Stage has a fresh look this summer, as bars have been overhauled to reflect the full suite of beverage offerings:
Return of the Corona Oasis area – featuring pre-show and post-show programming
KFC is now available
New non-alcoholic beverage offerings including Well Juicery and Corona Sunbrew 0.0
Sustainability continues to remain a priority for Budweiser Stage as they continue to look to reduce environmental impact
Areas of focus include: waste diversion, elimination of single-use plastics and energy consumption
Flow Water is the new water provider – an important move towards their goal of eliminating single-use plastics
With consumer demand for choice continually evolving, this concert season, fans of legal drinking age at Budweiser Stage will have more beverage options than ever before.
New offerings include innovations like Cutwater canned cocktails and NÜTRL JUIC’d
For info on tickets and the full season lineup, check out www.livenation.com
Peso Pluma continues celebrating a landmark year of success as he expands his North American tour. After selling out previously announced engagements in these cities, the Mexican artist is excited to announce additional shows in Los Angeles, El Paso, Denver, Hidalgo, and Anaheim. Furthermore, shows in Alpharetta, Indianapolis, and Chula Vista have been moved to larger venues, and ten new cities have been added to this route, including Tulsa, Toronto, Milwaukee, and more. Full routing can be found below.
Last week, Peso Pluma became the first artist to dominate Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global 200 Excl. U.S. simultaneously has two songs: “Ella Baila Sola” with Eslabon Armado and “BZRP Music Sessions, Vol. 55” with Bizarrap. The rising star made Spotify Mexico history as the first Mexican artist to lead the ‘Daily Top Artists Mexico’ chart. He currently holds ten positions on the Billboard Global 200 and four songs on the Spotify Top 50 Global.
He also recently released his highly anticipated 14-track album, GENESIS which quickly became the most listened to regional Mexican album on its first day on Apple Music’s.
TICKETS: The general onsale for Peso Pluma’s second show at YouTube Theater will start Friday, June 30th at 10 AM local time on LiveNation.com.
TOUR DATES:
* New date | # Venue change | + With Alemán
JUL-09 — Sacramento, CA — Golden 1 Center
JUL-12 — Austin, TX — Germania Insurance Amphitheater SOLD OUT
JUL-19 — Inglewood, CA — YouTube Theater+ *
JUL-20 — Inglewood, CA — YouTube Theater+ SOLD OUT
JUL-21 — Las Vegas, NV — MGM Grand Garden Arena SOLD OUT
JUL-22 — Phoenix, AZ — Arizona Financial Theatre + SOLD OUT
JUL-28 — Alpharetta, GA — Ameris Bank Amphitheatre #
JUL-30 — Tinley Park, IL — Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre SOLD OUT
AUG-03 — El Paso, TX — El Paso County Coliseum *
AUG-04 — El Paso, TX — El Paso County Coliseum SOLD OUT
AUG-05 — Denver, CO — Bellco Theatre SOLD OUT
AUG-06 — Denver, CO — Bellco Theatre *
AUG-11 — Houston, TX — Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land + SOLD OUT
AUG-12 — Irving, TX — The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory + SOLD OUT
AUG-13 — Tulsa, OK — BOK Center*
AUG-18 — Sterling Heights, MI — Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill*
AUG-19 — Toronto, ON — Budweiser Stage*
AUG-21 — Laval, QC — Place Bell*
AUG-24 — Belmont Park, NY — UBS Arena
AUG-25 — Bristow, VA — Jiffy Lube Live
AUG-26 — Reading, PA — Santander Arena
AUG-27 — Boston, MA — Leader Bank Pavilion SOLD OUT
SEP-3 — Rogers, AR — Walmart AMP*
SEP-7 — Laredo, TX — Sames Auto Arena*
SEP-08 — Hidalgo, TX — Payne Arena SOLD OUT
SEP-09 — Hidalgo, TX — Payne Arena*
SEP-14 — Milwaukee, WI — Fiserv Forum*
SEP-15 — Rosemont, IL — Rosemont Theatre SOLD OUT
SEP-16 — Indianapolis, IN — Gainbridge Fieldhouse #
SEP-17 — Pelham, AL — Oak Mountain Amphitheatre
SEP-30 — Chula Vista, CA — North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre #
OCT-13 — San Jose, CA — SAP Center + SOLD OUT
OCT-15 — San Bernardino, CA — Glen Helen Amphitheatre*
OCT-20 — Anaheim, CA — Honda Center + SOLD OUT
OCT-21 — Anaheim, CA — Honda Center + *
Critically acclaimed and award winning singer songwriter Holly Humberstone today announces her highly anticipated debut album Paint My Bedroom Black, to be released on October 13, 2023 on Polydor / Darkroom / Geffen / Universal Music Canada. Always inspired by her environment and how that affects her sense of self and identity, from her parent’s Haunted House to flatshares in London with The Walls Are Way To Thin, Paint My Bedroom Black represents Holly’s coming of age, growing from unknown singer at her parent’s piano to the most exciting alternative pop stars of her generation. The dark and otherworldly space Holly has built and invited fans into, both sonically and visually, has been lucid and visceral, with the camera always on her shoulder, a lens into her chaotic thoughts and deep feelings. Already nominated for two Ivor Novello’s, winning the BRIT Rising Star in 2022 and coming runner up in BBC Sound Of 2021, Humberstone’s bear-all storytelling is the heart of her craft, today releasing “Antichrist” and “Room Service”, the double A-Side singles that reflect her introspection and extraversion, two opposing artistic multitudes that inform Holly’s lyricism and sound. “I feel like two different people half the time. My biggest challenge is always to make something I feel I haven’t done before, that reflects new parts of me.” The new parts of Holly appear on “Antichrist”, an exposing image of her last break-up, a heartbreak ballad of self-loathing, set against propulsive pop: “Am I the Antichrist? How do I sleep at night?”, juxtaposed against delicate “Room Service”, an ode to locking yourself away from the world. The introduction of these two starkly different tracks act as a revolving door into the visceral duality of Holly Humberstone.
“Antichrist is about a break up I went through a couple of years ago. I genuinely cared about this person and wanted so badly to make it work, but I knew something wasn’t right and my heart wasn’t in it. I knew that I was inevitably going to have to hurt the person who I wanted so much to love. At the time I wrote the song, I remember feeling like I was constantly letting those around me down. Like I was falling short of being there for anyone I cared about. I basically felt like the worst person in the world; like the Antichrist. I really felt that I was toxic to be around, and the guilt and self-loathing that came with that manifested itself in this song.”
“I wrote Room Service a little while ago when I’d just started touring full time. I was finding myself constantly stressed out and although I was having fun, I was really missing home and my friends. I felt like I was watching them live out their lives from a phone screen, like I was being left behind. There was this swelling feeling that I was growing apart from that world that I was missing so badly, and I just didn’t want to be forgotten. AlI I wanted to do was to get a hotel room with my best friend, lock the world out and do stupid stuff like order room service. To me, this song is a simple love song to the people I care about the most, and the seemingly basic experiences you share together that can so often be taken for granted. The busier I get, the more I treasure the precious time I get with my friends and family; the more I value them in my life.” – says Holly Humberstone
With a talent for capturing and characterising moments that are both uncomfortably intimate and brutally revealing in her songwriting and creative – most of Holly’s 2022 was spent in hotel rooms, stuck between places, watching life from afar rather than being totally present in it. Lacking real connections and missing loved ones, the stirring official video for “Antichrist”, directed by Jean-Charles Chavarin, tells the story of the self-flagellation that comes with hurting someone you love, as you run away from yourself, trying to escape from room to room, until your reflection turns away from you.
Described as “XXX” by XXX on BBC Radio 1’s Hottest Record in the world, Holly performed “Antichrist” to 100,000 fans at Newcastle’s St James Park earlier this month, supporting Sam Fender and reminding fans that she is one of the most compelling British live acts. But in raw Holly fashion, to reveal the concept behind “Room Service” – living in hotel rooms across the globe and watching the world through a phone whilst wondering what her friends were up to without her – Holly performed the delicate single to 80 fans in room 627 at a hotel last week.
When Holly first brought her intimate live shows to audiences in 2021, fans were already singing every word from her breakout debut EP, “Falling Asleep At The Wheel” released in 2020. A global tour followed, with sell-out shows across the USA including LA’s Roxy to two nights at New York’s Bowery Ballroom, which led to Holly being invited on tour with Olivia Rodrigo and Girl in Red across North America. It was on these trips through soulless hotel rooms from March to December last year that the 23-year-old began piecing her album narrative together. Striking themes of lost loves, family units, and the deep-set fears of youth and growing up intertwined with sparse and expansive sonic production, Holly’s “crazy” headspace led to the foundations of Paint My Bedroom Black. “I have had such a fun, crazy, challenging few years,” Holly says, “I wanted to put absolutely all of that into this album. An album is a much different headspace for me, but it is filled with snapshots of where I’ve been and where I’m at.”
Snapshots of Holly flit everywhere from last year’s single “Can You Afford To Lose Me”, performed on Late Night With Stephen Colbert, to playing Matty Healy co-written “Sleep Tight” for VEVO, taking festivals by storm from Coachella to her debut Glastonbury performance and Reading & Leeds. Humberstone has become one of the most loved breakthrough artists for her raw, unfiltered, confessional songwriting and distinctive, can-hear-a-pin-drop vocals, picking up fans from Olivia Rodrigo to Phoebe Bridgers, Sigrid to Glass Animals and Sam Fender, and inspiring the next generation of alternative pop acts including Tommy Lefroy, Katie Gregson-Macleod, and Matilda Mann, whilst collaborating with the likes of Jack Steadman in Bombay Bicycle Club and Griff.
Finishing 2022 on a huge high, ending her biggest UK headline tour with 5000 fans singing back favourites “Scarlett” and “Overkill” at O2 Academy Brixton, the physical manifestation of her 242.6M global streams, Holly Humberstone started 2023 with her journal in hand and creative, walled off time, as she locked herself away in Rob Milton’s studio in London, to piece together the pieces of herself she felt like she left on the road, in rooms across the world. Holly has become renowned for painting a picture of a place so viscerally, being rooted in the walls and also people that makes a city liveable, where you can “get drunk with your mates and just forget about work”. From her family home in “Haunted House” to feeling lost and isolated in her London shared flat with The Walls Are Way To Thin,Paint My Bedroom Black is Holly’s fragmented and dark love letter to friends and lovers, a hideaway from the world when her fans need one.
PAINT MY BEDROOM BLACK TRACKLISTING
Paint My Bedroom Black
Into Your Room
Cocoon
Kissing In Swimming Pools
Ghost Me
Track 6
Antichrist
Lauren
Baby Blues
Flatlining
Elvis Impersonators
Girl
Room Service
Those who have been on the podcasting journey with Spotify since 2019 have seen how rapidly their platform has grown to adopt and innovate in the world of video podcasts. In 2020, they introduced video podcasts for a select number of shows, followed by a larger rollout in 2021. In 2022, they enabled the feature in a few markets, and then made it fully available to even more creators through their Spotify for Podcasters platform.
At their Stream On event in March, when they announced their updates to Spotify for Podcasters, the company shared that there were 70,000 video podcasts on-platform. Today, they have announced that there are now more than 100,000 video podcasts on Spotify.
Since the platform made video podcasts available for creators in nearly every market, the medium has become core to the Spotify podcast experience, with shows all around the world utilizing the format to deepen engagement with fans. The U.S., Brazil, Mexico, the U.K., and Germany publish the most video podcasts, but they’re also seeing great adoption in markets like the Philippines, where video podcasts account for over half of podcast consumption.
This growth since March demonstrates the way they’ve put creators and their needs first, which enables creators of all sizes to benefit from the format and connect more deeply with fans. They’ve charted consistent positive growth in audience retention and episode listenership among shows that have adopted video to date.
“Video definitely helped our podcast,” said Gage Adkins and Olivia Noel, cohosts of the Girlish podcast. “It has allowed us to connect deeper with our audience, which is so incredible. They can now pick up on our facial cues, see these little skits that we make, and really just have better engagement overall. But they can also continue to listen in the audio format if they choose to. It’s been versatile and we love it.”
Bob Marley’s immortality continues with Africa Unite, a majestic, posthumous album celebrating the vibrant fusion of Reggae and Afrobeats!
Africa Unite is an extraordinary album that pays homage to the Reggae icon’s greatest hits, beautifully reimagined and infused with the infectious rhythms of Afrobeats. Scheduled for release on August 4, 2023, Africa Unite features inspiring collaborations between Bob Marley’s classics and a stellar line-up of contemporary African musicians. This ten-track masterpiece includes Sarkodie, Tiwa Savage, Teni, and Oxlade, which will be announced before the album’s release. Each artist brings unique flair and artistry, paying tribute to Bob Marley’s enduring influence while adding their refreshing voices to his iconic compositions.
Bob Marley’s impact on Reggae and Afrobeats music culture is immeasurable. His ageless music transcends borders and generations. This project is no different; it invites listeners on an enchanting musical journey. From the heartwarming rendition of “Waiting In Vain” to the uplifting energy of “Stir It Up,” the album showcases the seamless fusion of two extraordinary musical worlds. Backing this album announcement is also the release of the lead single, a new version of Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds” performed by Nigeria’s rising stars Teni & Oxlade, which truly emulates the original with an afro-fusion kick.
With ‘Africa Unite,’ Bob Marley’s influence continues to resonate, bridging the gap between the past and present. The album not only showcases the global reach of Bob Marley’s music but also celebrates the rich tapestry of African rhythms and melodies. By intertwining reggae’s soulful vibrations with the infectious energy of Afrobeats, Africa Unite embodies the unity and spirit of collaboration, mirroring the late artist’s vision of a harmonious world.
Reflecting on the significance of this album, Bob Marley’s daughter Cedella Marley stated,” Africa Unite” is an album that showcases the importance of Bob Marley in modern day Africa. The artists that feature on this album have reimagined Bob Marley’s classics in a way we know he would have loved and been proud of.” The release of “Africa Unite” will undoubtedly captivate Bob Marley’s loyal fanbase and attract new listeners seeking to experience the magic of his music in a fresh and vibrant way.
Bob Marley’s impact on reggae and Afrobeats music culture is immeasurable. As a pioneer of Reggae, Bob Marley was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. His powerful lyrics and captivating melodies have served as a guiding light, inspiring countless artists and shaping the musical landscape. With Africa Unite, his influence continues to resonate, bridging the gap between the past and present.
Today, GRAMMY-winning, multi-Platinum-selling, critically lauded singer/songwriter Olivia Rodrigo returns with her new single “vampire.” Released via Geffen Records/Universal Music Canada, the emotionally raw yet extravagantly composed track marks the lead single from the 20-year-old artist’s massively anticipated sophomore album GUTS, due out September 8th. Go HERE to listen to “vampire” and to order the special limited-edition physical versions of the single (including Rodrigo’s first demo of the track, exclusive to the CD and 7” pressing).
The follow-up to Rodrigo’s 4x Platinum, record-breaking 2021 debut album SOUR, GUTS is available for pre-save and for pre-order on CD, cassette, or vinyl HERE. Exclusively available at Rodrigo’s online store, the vinyl version of GUTS will be offered in four colors: red, white, blue, and purple. In addition, an exclusive colored vinyl and CD (both with alternative cover and poster) are now available for pre-order at Target HERE.
Produced by and co-written with Daniel Nigro (also Rodrigo’s main creative partner on SOUR), “vampire” marks a departure from the dreamy minimalism of past hits like her 5x Platinum breakthrough single “drivers license.” To that end, “vampire” begins with a hushed intensity before bursting into a larger-than-life epic built on pulse-pounding drumbeats and magnificently frantic piano work. As the track takes on a wild velocity, Rodrigo reveals her newly heightened sophistication as a vocalist and lyricist, spinning a tale of the kind of toxic romance that drains your very life force.
“I was upset about a certain situation and went to the studio alone and sat down at the grand piano, and the chords and melody and lyrics just poured out of me — almost like an out-of-body experience,” she recalls. “It’s a song about feeling confused and hurt, and at first I thought it was meant to be a piano ballad. But when Dan and I started working on it, we juxtaposed the lyrics with these big drums and crazy tempo changes. So now it’s like a heartbreak song you can dance to.”
Directed by famed artist/director/photographer Petra Collins, the video for “vampire” made its global broadcast premiere on MTV Live, MTVU, and across MTV’s global network of channels, as well as on the Paramount Times Square billboards. Collins previously directed the video for Rodrigo’s 2x Platinum “brutal,” and earned a GRAMMY nomination for her work on the video for the 4x Platinum, Billboard Hot 100-topping “good 4 u.”
Earlier tonight, Rodrigo and YouTube hosted an in-person “vampire” premiere event in Los Angeles. There, Rodrigo revealed the #vampireOR2 Shorts challenge and celebrated the release of the official music video alongside her fans and YouTube creators.
Partly written at the legendary Electric Lady Studios in New York City, GUTS mostly came to life in Nigro’s garage studio in Los Angeles. Although each song intensifies the emotional honesty that’s always imbued her storytelling, the album ultimately finds Rodrigo expanding her expressive palette and uncovering entirely new dimensions of her artistry.
“When I was making SOUR I was so new to the process and also so heartbroken; I’d just sit at the piano for hours and feel overcome with things I needed to express,” says Rodrigo. “But this album was much more about focusing on the craft of songwriting, which sometimes meant not taking myself so seriously and getting a little more tongue-in-cheek with my lyrics. We experimented so much with different approaches to writing and ended up with something that’s much more rock-influenced than anything I’ve done before.”
Winner of Best New Artist, Best Pop Vocal Album, and Best Pop Solo Performance at the 64th GRAMMY Awards (from which she received seven nominations total), Rodrigo released “drivers license” in January 2021 and instantly saw the track debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, soon becoming the first song in history to hit 80 million streams in seven days on Spotify. That May, SOUR entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1, later becoming the longest-running debut album in the chart’s top 10 this century — and the first to spend an entire year in the upper echelon. Also featuring the 3x Platinum “deja vu,” SOUR scored the most U.S. audio streams ever for a female debut album and broke the record for the most-streamed album in a week by a female artist on Spotify. Named the #1 Album of 2021 by Rolling Stone and hailed as one of the Best Albums of 2021 by The New York Times, among others, SOUR has now sold over 17 million albums globally with over 40 billion streams worldwide. The album’s 11 tracks have all been certified Platinum or multi-Platinum by the RIAA — and have landed in the top 30 of Billboard’s Hot 100, making Rodrigo the first female artist to simultaneously chart 11 or more songs in the top 30.
Richard Wright’s debut solo album, ‘Wet Dream’, is to be reissued on vinyl for the first time since its original release in 1978 this time in deep blue transparent marbled. It will also be available on streaming platforms for the first time ever including a new Dolby Atmos mix, on CD and on blu-ray which includes a 5.1 mix and never before released personal images and videos from around this period of his life.
To be released on 28th July – the actual date of his 80th birthday – it will initially be made available on CD and all streaming platforms with the vinyl and blu-ray editions of the record being released on September 29th.
Remixed by Steven Wilson, this reissue comes with brand new artwork that was commissioned and art-directed by Gala and Jamie Wright, Richard’s children and managers of his estate. As per the original release, the bi-fold sleeve folds out to extend the image and features the same vibrant colour palette. This time, the unidentified person in bright red shorts is swimming within deep blue waters of the sea rather than a pool and the image expands out to reveal a boat slightly out of their reach, referencing the nautical theme of the record. The image was taken by Costas Spathis, a photographer living and working in Greece, which is where the album was written and the graphic design is by Carl Glover. The original artwork was designed by Storm Thorgerson and photographed by Aubrey Powell for Hipgnosis and features in the vinyl booklet.
Upon rediscovering this record, it becomes hugely apparent how much of Richard’s DNA runs through Pink Floyd. His distinct rhythm patterns, song structure and style of play exudes throughout, shining a light on his unique talent and influence on modern music.
When originally released, post Pink Floyd’s ‘Animals’ (1977) and shortly before ‘The Wall’ (1979), ‘Wet Dream’ was largely under-appreciated. Steven Wilson’s mix gives new life to the record demonstrating Wright’s brilliance. He wrote and produced the whole album himself and it was one of only three albums released outside of Pink Floyd- ‘Broken China’, his second solo album from 1996 and ‘Identity’, released in 1983 under the guise of Zee, a duet with Dave Harris from Fashion.
‘Wet Dream’ Track Listing:
1. “Mediterranean C”
2. “Against the Odds”
3. “Cat Cruise”
4. “Summer Elegy”
5. “Waves”
6. “Holiday”
7. “Mad Yannis Dance”
8. “Drop In from the Top”
9. “Pink’s Song”
10. “Funky Deux”
CHROME DREAMS, one of Neil Young’s most individual and powerful albums, was scheduled to be released in 1977, but as is often the case with Young, things change. And then change again. What starts as one thing can often end up as another. For all those who have followed the singer-songwriter’s ever-evolving career, it’s best to let those changes happen.
With CHROME DREAMS, it has been a long time coming to this final version of an album that includes some of rock’s most unforgettable songs. And now it’s being released on August 11 via Reprise Records as Young envisioned it. Now is the time for CHROME DREAMS to find its way into the world, as Neil Young hears and sees it.
The music included on CHROME DREAMS is the debut release of the legendary 1977 “Lost” album of 12 classic Neil Young songs, including four originals. Manufactured as a 3-sided LP with an etching on side 4, CHROME DREAMS is comprised of studio recordings from 1974-1976, including two previously unreleased versions and four tracks never before released on vinyl. Listen here.
The 12 songs on CHROME DREAMS may have existed in other forms at other times, and that is part of the creative process. Many of these are the originals. The summer 2023 release as it is coming to life now is exactly how Young perceived it and has a sense of monumentality about it that conveys a place in history. Songs like “Pocahontas,” “Like a Hurricane,” “Powderfinger,” “Homegrown,” “Stringman,” and “Look Out for My Love” join six other tracks to finally present CHROME DREAMS as a guide into the world of a musician who leads the way into the future, never second-guessing what could have been.
Some of the historical lineage of the songs on CHROME DREAMS today include:
“Powderfinger” is the early/first solo version, the original.
“Pocahontas” is the same version that first appeared on RUST NEVER SLEEPS, but without the overdubs.
“Sedan Delivery” and “Hold Back the Tears” are originals with lyrics that were not included in later released versions. Both are very different versions than previously released.
“Stringman,” is another original performance, included on the ODEON/BUDOKAN disc in ARCHIVES VOL. II; prior to that the song had only appeared on Young’s UNPLUGGED album in a later version, not the original.
Track List and Recording Dates:
1. Pocahontas (August 11, 1976)
2. Will to Love (December 3, 1976
3. Star of Bethlehem (December 13, 1974
4. Like a Hurricane (November 29, 1975
5.Too Far Gone (September 5, 1975)
6. Hold Back the tears (February 6, 1977)
7. Homegrown (November 19, 1975)
8. Captain Kennedy (August 11, 1976)
9. Stringman (March 31, 1976)
10. Sedan Delivery (May 22, 1975)
11. Powderfinger (August 11, 1976)
12. Look Out for My Love (January 20, 1976)
Today, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada, is announcing new appointments to the Order of Canada, including musicians ANDY KIM and TOM WILSON.
Since its creation in 1967, the Order of Canada has honoured Canadians whose service has shaped our society, whose innovations have ignited our imaginations, and whose compassion has united our communities.
Born in Montreal, Andy Kim was inspired by the Beatles, Hank Williams, Frank Sinatra, Elvis, Buddy Holly, and Bob Dylan. He found fame in New York City at just 16 years old when he wrote How’d We Ever Get This Way?, the first of nine Billboard Top 40 hits, including #1 songs Rock Me Gently and Sugar, Sugar, one of Billboard’s “Greatest Songs of All Time.” A true Canadian son, Andy has been awarded the country’s top industry honours three times, the JUNO Award for outstanding achievements in the record industry, as well as the Indie Award for Favorite Solo Artist and a star on Canada’s Walk Of Fame. Andy is a member of Songwriters Hall of Fame and was inducted into Billboard’s Hit Parade Hall of Fame. Over his epic career, Andy has sold over 30 million records, and The Archies’ “Sugar, Sugar” has been streamed over 350 million times on Spotify and YouTube.
For nearly 20 years, The Andy Kim Christmas has been gathering friends and fans together to celebrate the spirit and generosity of the musical community with all proceeds going to charity. The concerts have brought people together from coast to coast on television and in concert, bringing its cumulative money raised to over $2.3 million. The one-of-a-kind charity event has previously included performances by some of the country’s most sought-after singer-songwriters and performers. Past guests include Ron Sexsmith, Kim Mitchell, Sarah McLachlan, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Feist, The Sheepdogs, City and Colour, Nelly Furtado, and more.
“When I got the call, I wondered if this was a trick of some kind. When I realized it was true, I was overwhelmed with tears welling up thinking of my Mom and Dad, both immigrants, from the mountains of Lebanon, who met each other in Montréal, had four boys and loved the country of our birth. We didn’t have much but soon realized we are living in a country that rewarded hard work and dreamers and accepted all races and ethnicity. My parents always reminded us about how great and caring Canada was to them. I am honoured to be part of this beautiful country where people often find the impossible possible.”
Tom Wilson is a Canadian music legend, famed storyteller, and visual artist, is a three-time Juno winning Canadian musician with multiple gold records. He has written for and recorded songs with Sarah McLachlan, City and Colour, Jason Isbell, Colin James, Lucinda Williams, Billy Ray Cyrus, Mavis Staples, and The Rankin Family. His band Junkhouse has scored eleven top-ten hits, and his iconic, Americana-fuelled Blackie and the Rodeo Kings have organically evolved into one of the finest roots-oriented bands in music and remains one of Canada’s greatest treasures. Tom’s most recent incarnation, Lee Harvey Osmond, has received extensive praise and airplay throughout North America. His art has shown in galleries in New York City, Vancouver, Toronto and more recently, Ottawa.
But uncovering a web of family secrets set him off on a lifelong journey to reconnect with his identity. With a rare gift for storytelling and an astonishing story to tell, in his critically acclaimed autobiography, Beautiful Scars, Tom writes with unflinching honesty and extraordinary compassion about his search for the truth. It’s a story about scars, about the ones that hurt us, and the ones that make us who we are.
“This is a very emotional and unexpected moment for me. I bring with me Bunny and George Wilson, the two people who gave me a fighting chance, my family and every one of my Mohawk ancestors. I hope this appointment will help to influence the results of my work for Indigenous education and support my positive intentions as I help bring a deeper awareness of the true history of this country and the power and beauty of indigenous people forward through my art, my writing, and my music. The future generations depend on the hard work we do today,” says Wilson.
