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Punk Veterans I Am The Avalanche Roar Back With “I’m Not Dead” Off ‘The Horror Show’

Eric Alper
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Punk Veterans I Am The Avalanche Roar Back With “I’m Not Dead” Off ‘The Horror Show’

I Am The Avalanche are back with their teeth bared. The band have premiered a lyric video for “I’m Not Dead (I Just Blinked And Never Saw The Light Again),” the latest single from their new album ‘THE HORROR SHOW’. They call it a sh*t-scorcher of a tune, and they mean it.

The song took a winding road to get here. Frontman Vinnie Caruana developed it during the pandemic with Chris Todd, drummer of Common Sage, for a different project that never came together. Caruana eventually brought it into Avalanche world, and the result is one of the record’s most life-affirming moments.

‘THE HORROR SHOW’ is the band’s fifth full-length, their first in six years, and their Equal Vision Records debut. Twenty-two years into their career, they’re making the most powerful music of their lives. It’s also their most expansive and textural record, a collection forged in grief, courage, and a refusal to stand still.

The album’s emotional center is unmistakable. Caruana wrote roughly 75 percent of the lyrics after his best friend died suddenly and unexpectedly, and he describes that kind of loss as something that changes you on a cellular level. Out of the devastation came a new perspective. He found courage he didn’t know he had, and he calls that his friend’s last gift to him.

The record confronts grief without being swallowed by it. Across 11 tracks, the band move through friendship, mortality, love, and resilience with the same urgency that’s driven them since the start, now drawn from a deeper well. Caruana describes total creative freedom, no rules or constraints, the band pushing into new musical territory together.

That range is everywhere. It shows up on the driving title track, the raw defiance of “LAUGHING AND BLEEDING,” the fragility of “5:55,” the radiance of “I’M NOT DEAD…,” the punishing “TRUE LEGENDS NEVER DIE,” and the shimmery glow of “ALIVE ON 14th STREET.” The band sound fully locked in, playing with the visceral understanding that life can change in an instant.

Caruana hopes the album can be a companion for anyone carrying loss, with a simple message at its core: you are stronger than you think, and you are not alone. Now the band take it to the stage, joining support tours before heading out on their own, a run Caruana frames as another step in his own healing.

Summer Tour Dates (more to be added):

June 11 – Asbury Park, NJ – House of Independents (w/ Brandon Reilly)

June 12 – Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts (w/ Brandon Reilly)

June 13 – Hamden, CT – Space Ballroom (w/ Brandon Reilly)

June 14 – Richmond, VA – The National (supporting Thrice)

June 16 – Baltimore, MD – Ottobar (w/ Brandon Reilly)

June 17 – Albany, NY – Empire Underground (w/ Brandon Reilly)

June 18 – Hampton Beach, NH – Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom (supporting Yellowcard)

June 19 – Boston, MA – The Sinclair (w/ Brandon Reilly, Crime In Stereo)

June 20 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg (w/ Brandon Reilly, Crime In Stereo)

July 8 – Belfast, UK – Voodoo (w/ Cold Years)

July 9 – Dublin, IE – The Grand Social (w/ Cold Years)

July 10 – Withington, UK – 2000 Trees Festival

July 12 – London, UK – New Cross Inn (w/ Cold Years)

July 13 – Manchester, UK – The Deaf Institute (w/ Cold Years)

July 14 – Leeds, UK – The Key Club (w/ Cold Years)

July 16 – Glasgow, UK – Audio (w/ Cold Years)

August 1 – Chicago, IL – House of Blues (Official Lollapalooza Aftershow feat. The Story So Far)

September 19 – Mesa, AZ – Within These Walls 2026 at the Nile Theater

Nashville Star Sam Palladio Turns Heartbreak Into A Dancefloor On “Glitter”

Eric Alper
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Nashville Star Sam Palladio Turns Heartbreak Into A Dancefloor On “Glitter”

Sam Palladio wants you to dance through the loneliness. The actor and indie-pop artist has released his new single “Glitter,” out everywhere via 3686 Records, his latest offering since signing with the newly launched independent label earlier this year.

The track pairs atmospheric indie-pop production with dreamlike storytelling, capturing the ache of longing and missed connection through cinematic lyrics and hooky melodies. Written by Palladio and Aron Rosing, it sets heartbreak against the shimmer of nightlife and fading romance, leaning into the poetic vulnerability that defines his work. It’s the rare sad song built to fill a dancefloor.

Palladio is candid about its origins. He calls it a classic unrequited-love sad-boy pop song that still feels like an undeniable dance tune, written as he found his feet in the modern dating world. “Glitter” was among the first songs he wrote stepping into a new chapter of being single again, a stretch marked by new romantic encounters and by personal loss. That contrast, imagining someone dancing the night away across the world while he processed grief back in his childhood bedroom, anchors the song’s emotional core and shows how far his writing has come two years on from his first solo release.

His path here is a distinctive one. Best known as Gunnar Scott on ABC’s Nashville, Palladio became a fan favorite across the show’s six-season run, which drew more than five million weekly viewers. The role pulled him deep into Americana, folk, and country, collaborating with some of those genres’ most celebrated musicians and songwriters.

He’s kept building a lane as both actor and recording artist ever since. His debut album blended his Cornish roots with his Nashville years, crafted alongside Danish producer Søren Hansen (New Politics) and multi-Grammy-winning producer Dave Sardy (Oasis, Snow Patrol, LCD Soundsystem, The Who). Earlier releases like “Something On My Mind” and “Tennessee,” the latter featuring Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett, drew strong reviews and underlined his cross-genre appeal. His acting credits run wide too, spanning Netflix’s The Princess Switch trilogy, AMC’s Humans, Showtime’s Episodes, the Bob Marley biopic One Love, and the thriller series The Couple Next Door.

Now he’s bringing it to the stage. Fresh off a run of UK performances, Palladio debuts “Glitter” live at The Minack Theatre before returning to Nashville on June 26 and 27 for two shows at the iconic Ryman Auditorium as part of Nashville: The Encore Tour.

Live Dates:

The Minack Theatre – Cornwall, UK

June 26 – Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN (Nashville: The Encore Tour)

June 27 – Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN (Nashville: The Encore Tour)

R&B Rising Star Saint Harison Takes ‘Ghosted’ On The Road Across North America

Eric Alper
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R&B Rising Star Saint Harison Takes ‘Ghosted’ On The Road Across North America

Saint Harison is having a breakout moment, and now he’s taking it on the road. The rising R&B artist has announced his North American headline tour, following the release of his ‘ghosted’ EP and a sold-out show at the Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles.

The run opens September 9 in Minneapolis and carries his acclaimed live show across the continent, with stops in Chicago, Detroit, Toronto, Boston, New York, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, and Denver before wrapping September 29 at the iconic Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles. Artist presale starts Tuesday, June 10 at 10 am local time, with general on-sale Friday, June 12 at 10 am local time.

The timing couldn’t be sharper. This week the ‘ghosted’ standout single “bad” hit No. 1 at U.S. R&B Radio, the first chart-topper of Saint’s fast-rising career. The eight-track project widens the world he’s built over the past several years, weaving R&B, soul, indie, doo-wop, and pop together with the vulnerability and restraint that have become his signatures.

The EP plays like a journey through one emotional arc. Saint moves through longing, confusion, self-awareness, and acceptance with real intimacy, from the devastating piano balladry of “white to a wedding” to the sweeping doo-wop textures of “daffodil.” It’s some of his most lyrically open work, and it stamps him as one of the most compelling new voices in contemporary soul and R&B.

He’s clear-eyed about what went into it. Saint says he started writing the project right after “lost a friend” came out, calling it the most honest he’s ever been in his music. He talks about pouring the late nights, the tears, the overthinking, the healing, and the growth into these songs, describing each track as a piece of a chapter he had to live through before he could write it.

North American Tour Dates:

September 9 – 7th Street Entry – Minneapolis, MN

September 11 – Lincoln Hall – Chicago, IL

September 12 – The Shelter – Detroit, MI

September 13 – The Great Hall – Toronto, ON

September 15 – Cafe 939 at Berklee – Boston, MA

September 16 – The Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY

September 18 – Songbyrd DC – Washington, DC

September 19 – Lounge at World Stage – Philadelphia, PA

September 22 – Vinyl – Atlanta, GA

September 24 – Bronze Peacock – Houston, TX

September 25 – Cambridge Room – Dallas, TX

September 27 – Globe Hall – Denver, CO

September 29 – Roxy Theatre – Los Angeles, CA

Video: John Mayer Commands Webster Hall In Newly Remastered 2006 Set

Eric Alper
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Video: John Mayer Commands Webster Hall In Newly Remastered 2006 Set

John Mayer was hitting his stride in September 2006, deep into the tour behind ‘Continuum’ and stepping fully into the mature blues-rock that followed his pop breakthrough on ‘Room for Squares’. The 90-minute set on September 13, captured professionally and now remastered in 4K UHD for a 2025 release, caught him at the climax of that run inside Webster Hall, New York’s legendary 1,500-capacity room that opened in 1886. His Fender Stratocaster solos locked in with funky riffs from a band that included Pino Palladino on bass and Steve Jordan on drums, moving through “Waiting on the World to Change,” “Gravity,” “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room,” and “Vultures” before a sold-out crowd, proof of his standing as one of the leading modern blues guitarists.

Indie-Pop Provocateur Roe Kapara Turns Misery Into A Sun-Soaked Bop On “Crying On Vacation”

Eric Alper
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Indie-Pop Provocateur Roe Kapara Turns Misery Into A Sun-Soaked Bop On “Crying On Vacation”

Roe Kapara has figured out how to make doom sound like a beach party. The indie-pop artist returns with summer single “Crying On Vacation,” a candid confession of gloom set to a buzzing, feel-good beat. His sardonic melodrama plays against a surf rock aura, euphonious horns, and sly tongue-in-cheek one-liners, with his vocal range front and center as he belts the chorus. Listen here.

Kapara is refreshingly blunt about where the song came from. He describes feeling like a fat, middle-aged, divorced dad and chasing a sound to match, reaching for the indie rock he obsessed over as a kid with an ABBA twist layered on top. That mix of self-deprecation and big melody is exactly what makes the track land.

The single extends a strong recent run. It follows his post-Valentine’s confessional “My Love,” an indie-pop and Van Morrison hybrid that built on last year’s fan favorites “Feel Sexy” and “Good Times.” Each one works as a self-assured vignette of the left-field pulse shaping Kapara’s writing, and together they hint at the heart of his long-awaited debut album.

The momentum has been building for a while. That fearlessness started surfacing on his 2024 EP ‘Big Cigars & Satin Shorts’ (Epitaph), which FLOOD praised for balancing deeply confessional songwriting with a sense of humor Kapara refuses to suppress. With over half a million monthly listeners, it tracks that Ones To Watch calls him irresistible.

ASCAP Foundation Crowns Its 2026 Class Of Morton Gould Young Composer Award Winners

Eric Alper
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ASCAP Foundation Crowns Its 2026 Class Of Morton Gould Young Composer Award Winners

A new generation of concert music has its spotlight. The ASCAP Foundation, led by President Paul Williams, has named the recipients of the 2026 ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Awards, the program that encourages talented young creators of concert music between the ages of 13 and 30.

Williams called it a joy to recognize the honorees, pointing to the artistry and dedication that signal a bright future for the form. Executive Director Patricia Leonard framed the support of emerging composers as central to the Foundation’s mission, thanking the judges and funders who help champion these talents at a pivotal moment in their careers.

The pedigree of the award speaks for itself. Past recipients have gone on to major honors, including 2026 Pulitzer Prize in Music winner Gabriela Lena Frank, and former Pulitzer winners Michael Abels, Jennifer Higdon, David Lang, Melinda Wagner, and Julia Wolfe.

The 2026 winners are Zixuan Chen of Baltimore, Sophia Kunxu Dou of New York, Bobby Ge of Princeton, Jacob Harrison of Los Angeles, Oswald Huỳnh of Rome, Maya Miro Johnson of New Haven, Kai Kubota-Enright of Brooklyn, Jacky Jiaqi Liu of New York, Daniel Lubin of New York, Matthew Huang Mailman of Evanston, Aaron Nichols of New York, Paul Novak of Chicago, Luca Pasquini of New York, Sofía Rocha of Providence, Cyrano Jett Rosentrater of New York, Dylan Tyree of Los Angeles, and Vincent Zhang of New York.

Honorable Mentions went to Benjamin Coble, Oliver Dubon, Henry Golden, Cem Güven, Patrick Holcomb, Isaiah Saranow, and Jason Zhang. Oswald Huỳnh earned an additional distinction, the 2026 Leo Kaplan Award, created in memory of the attorney who served as ASCAP Special Distribution Advisor and funded by the Kaplan Family. This year’s judging panel featured composers David Biedenbender, Anthony Cheung, Loren Loiacono, Brian Raphael Nabors, Nina Shekhar, and Ileana Perez Velázquez.

The program carries a storied history. It was established in 1979 with funding from The ASCAP Foundation Jack and Amy Norworth Fund, named for the writer of standards like “Shine On Harvest Moon” and “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” Additional support comes from the Irving Caesar Fund (Caesar wrote “Tea for Two” and “Swanee”) and the Joseph and Rosalie Meyer Fund (Meyer composed “If You Knew Susie” and several Broadway shows).

The awards took on their current name after the 1996 death of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Morton Gould, honoring his lifelong commitment to young creators. A child prodigy who had his first composition published by G. Schirmer at age 6, Gould served as President of both ASCAP and The ASCAP Foundation from 1986 to 1994.

Jazz Maestro Vince Guaraldi’s ‘Great Pumpkin’ Score Returns For Its 60th Anniversary

Eric Alper
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Jazz Maestro Vince Guaraldi’s ‘Great Pumpkin’ Score Returns For Its 60th Anniversary

60 years on, Linus is still waiting in that pumpkin patch. Craft Recordings is marking the 60th anniversary of the beloved PEANUTS Halloween special ‘It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown’ with a full vinyl reissue of Vince Guaraldi’s 1966 jazz score, arriving August 7 and available to pre-order now.

The centerpiece is a striking 45 RPM zoetrope LP, animating scenes from the special on each side as it spins, paired with a new essay from Sean Mendelson. The collection gathers Guaraldi’s complete soundtrack alongside a selection of rare outtakes, following its first official release in 2018 and a 2022 expansion drawn from newly discovered master tapes.

Collectors get plenty to chase. An Orange 4-inch Tiny Vinyl arrives at Target on July 17, with “The Great Pumpkin Waltz” on Side A and “Graveyard Theme” on Side B. Pumpkin-shaped pressings follow August 21 in exclusive colorways: Electric Pumpkin Patch (Barnes & Noble), Pumpkin Spice (Walmart), Ghost White (Target), and Candy Corn (Craft Recordings), plus the fan-favorite Orange Pumpkin pressing returning to major retailers.

The music itself remains the draw. The score turns on the sophisticated, evocative “The Great Pumpkin Waltz,” inspired by Linus’ unshakable faith in the mysterious gourd, and reaches from the eerie “Breathless” to the playful “The Red Baron.” The evergreen “Charlie Brown Theme” and the instantly recognizable “Linus and Lucy” anchor the set. Guaraldi’s writing here is warm, witty, and quietly masterful, jazz that generations of kids absorbed before they knew the word.

The sessions marked a turning point. Recorded just weeks before the October airdate at Desilu’s Gower Street Studio in Hollywood, the special brought in seasoned composer and conductor John Scott Trotter, best known for three decades as Bing Crosby’s music director. Trotter helped shape Guaraldi’s ideas into tight, TV-friendly cues. The composer’s trio (bassist Monty Budwig and drummer Colin Bailey) was joined by Mannie Klein on trumpet, John Gray on guitar, and Ronald Lang on woodwinds, lending warm autumnal texture to the score.

Guaraldi’s mark on the franchise is hard to overstate. PEANUTS historian Derrick Bang noted that the composer established the franchise’s whole musical personality with this third outing, setting the groove every later special would follow. Lee Mendelson, the producer who first recruited Guaraldi, contributes an introductory note written before his passing in 2019.

The special itself was a phenomenon. ‘It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown’ debuted October 27, 1966, capturing a staggering 49 percent audience share and earning an Emmy nomination, though unlike ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ it never got a companion soundtrack at the time. Guaraldi went on to score 15 PEANUTS specials before his death in 1976, leaving behind themes that became touchstones of American culture.

It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown Tracklist:

Side A:

  1. Linus and Lucy
  2. Graveyard Theme
  3. Snoopy and the Leaf/Frieda (With the Naturally Curly Hair)
  4. The Great Pumpkin Waltz
  5. Linus and Lucy (Reprise)
  6. Charlie Brown Theme/Charlie Brown Theme (Minor Theme)/Graveyard Theme (Reprise)
  7. The Great Pumpkin Waltz (Reprise)
  8. The Red Baron/Military Drum March
  9. The Great Pumpkin Waltz (2nd Reprise)/The Great Pumpkin Waltz (3rd Reprise)
  10. Graveyard Theme (Trick or Treat) (2nd Reprise)
  11. Fanfare/Breathless/Graveyard Theme (Trick or Treat) (3rd Reprise)
  12. Charlie Brown Theme (Reprise)

Side B:

  1. Breathless (2nd Reprise)
  2. It’s a Long Way to Tipperary/There’s a Long, Long Trail A-Winding/Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag/Roses of Picardy
  3. Graveyard Theme (Trick or Treat) (4th Reprise)
  4. Linus and Lucy (2nd Reprise)/Linus and Lucy (3rd Reprise)
  5. Charlie Brown Theme (2nd Reprise)
  6. Linus and Lucy (Alternate Take 1)
  7. Graveyard Theme (Alternate Take 1)
  8. Charlie Brown Theme (Alternate Reprise Take 1)
  9. Linus and Lucy (Alternate Take 2)
  10. The Great Pumpkin Waltz (Alternate Take 2)
  11. Linus and Lucy (Alternate Reprise Take 1)
  12. Charlie Brown Theme (Alternate Reprise Take 2)

Genre-Smashing Experimentalists Nu Jazz Detonate Their Second Album ‘Un Jazz’

Eric Alper
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Genre-Smashing Experimentalists Nu Jazz Detonate Their Second Album ‘Un Jazz’

Nu Jazz are building something gloriously unhinged. The experimental New York six-piece have announced their second studio album and label debut, ‘Un Jazz’, out July 24 via Orange Milk, alongside lead single “369.” The record sits at the underground crossroads of free jazz, hardcore, and electronic music. Listen here.

The band sum up the album with one wild image: “Woodstock ’99 at Montreux Jazz Festival.” It’s a fragmented mash of genres and maximalist noise, what they call wartime music for the digital trench, aimed squarely at the power structures eroding democracy, individuality, and independent thought. That ambition comes through loud.

Lead single “369” makes the case immediately. The track plays out as a jagged waltz, moving between simmering lows and frenetic peaks with righteous anger and total abandon. It pulls the group’s inciting sound into focus, a restless distillation of everything they’ve been working toward and a badge of their perennial outsider status.

The lineup reads like a who’s who of the underground. Danny Orlowski (Deli Girls) hurls blown-out screams in lockstep with Ryan Easter (WRENS), whose blistering 16th-note runs and synth-like effects reimagine what a trumpet can do. Ben Shirken (29 Speedway, Ex Wiish) builds churning worlds from modular synths and jagged samples, while Adam Turay’s (The Narcotix) riffs weave and bloom. Kevin Eichenberger (CGI Jesus) anchors the low end with deft bass and compositional instinct, and John Bemis (Murderpact) brings a rhythmic palette of swing, breakbeat, and hardcore. Their individual projects have drawn notice from Pitchfork, Bandcamp Daily, Artforum, The FADER, Dazed, Resident Advisor, and The New York Times.

The road work runs deep too. Since forming in 2022, the band have sharpened their sound across rooms like Pioneer Works, Public Records, Long Play Festival, Cafe Oto, Trauma Bar und Kino, Jazz Is Dead, and Hyperreality Festival. ‘Un Jazz’ captures that convergence at full strength, an indefatigable spirit slashed against a timeline bleaker than any fictional dystopia.

Un Jazz Tracklist:

  1. “Return of the Rant”
  2. “In My City”
  3. “Sublimation”
  4. “369”
  5. “Vaporization”
  6. “Rearview”
  7. “Who Do You Work For?”
  8. “Recombination”
  9. “I(V)”
  10. “Civil War”

Shows:

July 24 @ The Compound – Baltimore, MD

July 25 @ Nightclub 101 – New York, NY (w/ OHYUNG, Matt Bent & Jon Starks)

Aaron Sorkin Takes On The Facebook Whistleblower Saga In ‘The Social Reckoning’

Eric Alper
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Aaron Sorkin Takes On The Facebook Whistleblower Saga In ‘The Social Reckoning’

Aaron Sorkin is heading back inside the machine. The official teaser trailer has arrived for his new dramatic thriller, a companion piece to the hit film ‘The Social Network’, landing exclusively in theatres October 9, 2026. Sorkin writes and directs.

The screenplay is built from one of the decade’s biggest media stories. It’s based on the events behind the Wall Street Journal’s explosive exposé ‘The Facebook Files’, tracing the true story of how Frances Haugen (Mikey Madison), a young Facebook engineer, brings her case to Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz (Jeremy Allen White). Together they set off on a dangerous path that ends up exposing the social network’s most closely guarded secrets.

The cast runs deep. Alongside Madison and White, the ensemble features Wunmi Mosaku, Betty Gilpin, and Billy Magnussen, with Bill Burr and Jeremy Strong rounding out the lineup. It’s a stacked roster for a story built on high-stakes conversations, exactly the terrain Sorkin commands better than anyone.

The production team carries serious weight too. Todd Black, Peter Rice, Sorkin, and Stuart Besser produce, with executive producers Lauren Lohman, Roger McNamee, Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Broderick Johnson, and Andrew A. Kosove. The film is currently unrated by the Motion Picture Association.

CIMA And MusicOntario Launch LIVE Music Toronto To Champion The City’s Indie Venues

Eric Alper
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CIMA And MusicOntario Launch LIVE Music Toronto To Champion The City’s Indie Venues

Toronto’s grassroots music scene just got a unified voice. The Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA), in partnership with MusicOntario, has launched LIVE Music Toronto, a new industry collective built to represent and strengthen the city’s independent and grassroots live music sector. The launch arrives ahead of the CIMA and MusicOntario annual summer day party during NXNE.

The collective serves Toronto’s independent venues, festivals, promoters, and presenters across both for-profit and non-profit sectors. It gives them a shared voice on local policy, resources, and the long-term survival of the rooms where artists develop and audiences connect. The local focus complements the national work of the Canadian Live Music Association and mirrors proven models like Les SMAQ in Quebec, the Music Venue Trust in the UK, and NIVA in the United States.

CIMA President and CEO Andrew Cash frames a strong local scene as the foundation for the whole ecosystem. He notes that the new LIVE Music Toronto membership tier connects independents to each other and bridges them to CIMA’s broader community of labels, managers, publishers, and artists.

The people running these rooms see the difference already. Shaun Bowring, who operates The Garrison and The Baby G and runs promoters Transmit Presents, points to how Toronto’s venues mobilized during the pandemic to win a property tax exemption, and calls the formal launch fantastic. Camille Neirynck-Guerrero, programmer of Queen West hub DROM Taberna and its non-profit arm in•summer, says membership has already expanded both her community and her access to resources, simply by connecting her with neighbours across the city.

The numbers behind the scene are serious. The City of Toronto’s 2020 Re:Venues study estimated that the city’s venues generate $850 million in annual economic impact and support the equivalent of 10,500 full-time jobs. The Canadian Live Music Association’s Hear and Now report found that Canada’s live music industry contributed more than $10 billion to the national economy in 2023.

MusicOntario Executive Director Emy Stantcheva points to live music as something that animates the city day and night, creating jobs, driving tourism and hospitality, and standing as a core feature of any world-class metropolis. LIVE Music Toronto exists to advocate for the independents behind those figures.

Membership is open to independent, grassroots venues, promoters, presenters, and festivals that are Canadian-owned and controlled, operating in Toronto, working outside the major institutional ecosystem, and not run by any level of government. Supported by the City of Toronto’s Music Office, the initiative grew out of extensive groundwork by CIMA, MusicOntario, and writer Jonathan Bunce, founder of non-profit Wavelength Music and co-author of the study Reimagining Music Venues. That work included consultations, focus groups, and a year-end townhall at The Garrison. More than 40 venues and presenters have already signed on as founding members, with more to come through the year. Global ticketing platform Tixr, a longtime CIMA partner, is providing financial support to fund outreach and onboarding over the next year.

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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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