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Great Outdoors Comedy Festival Expands To Mississauga For September 2026

Eric Alper
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Great Outdoors Comedy Festival Expands To Mississauga For September 2026

The Great Outdoors Comedy Festival has announced its first appearance in Mississauga, transforming Erindale Park into a hub of laughter from September 11th to 13th. The newly announced GTA expansion marks another step in the festival’s cross-country and cross-border evolution, with limited three-day passes on sale now. Mississauga joins a growing lineup of cities including Edmonton, Winnipeg, Halifax, Calgary, Vancouver, and Spokane, WA, each bringing its own personality to the festival circuit.

“Mississauga’s dynamic cultural landscape and community spirit make it the perfect addition to the GOCF family,” says Mike Anderson, President of Trixstar Live. “Known for its vibrant arts scene and diverse community, Mississauga’s energy aligns perfectly with what the festival is all about: good times, good people, and great laughs.” Victoria Clarke, CEO of Visit Mississauga, adds: “We’re proud to bring the Great Outdoors Comedy Festival to Mississauga — and even prouder that it has been chosen as the only Ontario stop for next year. The festival’s commitment to community and creativity mirrors Mississauga’s own values. Together, we’re creating a weekend that celebrates laughter, culture, and local connections. We can’t wait to see audiences come together in Erindale Park for an unforgettable weekend of comedy and fun.”

What sets the festival apart is its commitment to building community beyond the stage. Through the Great Outdoors Community Fund, the festival invests in local charities and organizations that reflect its three core pillars: Arts & Culture, Mental Health, and Sustainability. Each city stop sees meaningful support directed toward initiatives that strengthen local creative industries, foster inclusion, and create lasting impact long after the curtains close. The model ensures GOCF gives back to the same communities that make the festival experience possible.

geless Releases Introspective EP ‘Different Scenery’

Eric Alper
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geless Releases Introspective EP ‘Different Scenery’

Electronic producer Ageless (Wesley Paioff) has released his deeply introspective EP ‘Different Scenery’ via Grand Alliance Music, a cinematic exploration of perception, reflection, and evolution. The release began November 11th with lead single “No Heart At All,” a nostalgic, elegant track capturing the moment between loss and renewal, followed three days later by the full EP. “Every song is a moment seen twice — once when it happens, and again when you remember it. That space between them is where Different Scenery lives,” Ageless explains. The EP blends soulful electronica, downtempo bass, and cinematic ambiance, with shimmering synths, vintage textures, and delicate percussion layered throughout. “No Heart At All” introduces themes of emotional detachment and rediscovery through pulse-like basslines and reverberant horn echoes, while “Blind Spot” and title track “Different Scenery” complete the narrative, each piece revealing another angle of transformation.

Pete Townshend Discusses The Who’s Farewell Tour On The Late Show

Eric Alper
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Pete Townshend Discusses The Who’s Farewell Tour On The Late Show

Pete Townshend sat down with Stephen Colbert for an extended conversation on The Late Show, discussing The Who’s farewell tour, his difficult childhood, the incredible amount of unheard music in his vault, and the origins of works like “Tommy” and “Quadrophenia.” The GRAMMY and Tony winner opened up about his creative process and decades-long career with the legendary rock band. Townshend’s latest musical adventure, “Quadrophenia, A Rock Ballet,” runs at New York City Center through Sunday.


Rayon Share Whacked Out “Shopping” Single And Super 8 Video

Eric Alper
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Rayon Share Whacked Out “Shopping” Single And Super 8 Video

No-wave, angular post-punk outfit Rayon have released their new single “Shopping,” a tongue-in-cheek ode to consumerism and travel born from near-burnout and a revitalizing trip to Mexico. The track arrives with a Super 8 video showcasing grocery store antics before the band got kicked out, proving that new life can always be found on aisle five. Available as a 7″ vinyl and two-track digital release via Little Cloud Records alongside B-side “Running,” the single marks the first in a new series of similar records for the band. Rayon is the project of long-time North Portland resident and Detroit-area native Eric Sabatino, now featuring Anna Sabatino, Riley McLaughlin, Eric Rubalcava, and Derek Longoria-Gomez from Sun Atoms, Yuvees, Pastilla, and Martha Stax.

Recording on rainy weekends in a garage studio packed with old reel-to-reel tape machines, partially-functional tube amps, and leaky British motorcycles, the songs were captured onto 16 tracks of 1/2″ tape while running through a slightly-wonky tape echo. Sabatino broke tradition by mixing with famed engineer Larry Crane at Jackpot Recording, who has worked with Cat Power, Sleater-Kinney, The Decemberists, The Go-Betweens, Elliott Smith, and Death Cab for Cutie, with mastering by Timothy Stollenwerk at Stereophonic Mastering. “Doing everything on film and tape is a bit of a safety check-valve, to make sure we make everything like humans with no autotune, copy/paste or AI. I’m becoming an imperfectionist,” Sabatino says. “This was the first time we’ve engaged a ‘professional’ to work on our recordings. The education we received was immense, and Larry was kind with his explanations of everything we had previously done ‘wrong’ with our recordings, was willing to work with what we provided and willing to get weird with us.”

The EP almost didn’t happen. “I nearly walked away from Rayon. The last record wasn’t selling, a lack of decent show offers, festival rejections and a general feeling of burnout was happening. Our second guitarist left, and then our drummer,” Sabatino explains. “The addition of guitarist Riley McLaughlin and Eric Rubalcava (drums) and Derek Longoria-Gomez (percussion and bass) from our ‘band-in-law’ Sun Atoms brought new life and energy to the band. We played some of the first enjoyable shows in a few years, and a new energy emerged. We started functioning as a band, we traveled to Mexico, and came back to record these songs. And another record is in the works. As for the new video, we got kicked out of two grocery stores making it. The Mexican Tienda was cool as hell; they loved it.”

Portland Return With New Album ‘Champain’ After Jente Pironet’s Cancer Battle

Eric Alper
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Portland Return With New Album ‘Champain’ After Jente Pironet’s Cancer Battle

Belgian indie band Portland have released their new album ‘Champain’, an unflinchingly honest record born from frontman Jente Pironet’s battle with brain cancer. The diagnosis came just days after the band delivered a triumphant performance at Rock Werchter in 2023, turning what should have been their breakthrough year into a fight for survival. The album chronicles Pironet’s journey from stage to hospital bed to writing desk, revealing a band that has never sounded more energetic, mature, or richly layered.

“I heard you calling me / and you still know my name,” Pironet sings on opener “Time Is Now,” exuding regained self-confidence. “Something’s in the air / I’d like to face it all alone.” The message cuts clear: there’s no time to waste. “Lay Me Down” shows the other side, asking loved ones to catch him when he falls and lay him to rest when he pushes too far. Together, these tracks reveal Portland’s current sound: energetic indie rock built for festivals and big stages, while still honoring the melancholic, introverted pop of predecessor ‘Departures’. Acoustic title track “Champain” nods to Bright Eyes, while hushed piano piece “Aurora” reflects how the promise of safety still unsettles Pironet after years of turmoil. “Her home ain’t where I’ll be,” he sings.

Bob Dylan inspired “Forever,” where Pironet spills everything in one long stream of words, “a story to tell and a weight on my chest.” The album settles into darkness with “Until I Find Some Bigger Fears,” one of the hardest songs Pironet has written, composed during chemotherapy when hope felt unreachable. “And all the time, I wish I could rewind,” he murmurs in the footsteps of Nick Cave and Billy Joel, bearing his soul over piano keys. The album serves as home for old sorrow and starting point for new stories, stinging and festering at times but far more often sparkling and effervescing.

One Last Day Release Debut EP ‘Eyes Like Glass // Thoughts Like Fuel’

Eric Alper
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One Last Day Release Debut EP ‘Eyes Like Glass // Thoughts Like Fuel’

UK alt metal outfit One Last Day have released their debut EP ‘Eyes Like Glass // Thoughts Like Fuel’ alongside a music video for focus single “Echoes,” directed by Shaun Hodson of Loki Films. The band describes “Echoes” as “a song about how we perceive what’s going on around us and how we choose to act in response. The way you act echoes through others’ experiences of you, you create ripples with actions which ultimately define you from the observer’s point of view – it’s worth being mindful of.” The EP serves as bedrock for the band’s creative journey ahead, exploring themes of resilience, self-reflection, and dystopian realization.

“It covers the breadth of keeping the fire alive, self-reflection on your internalisations, sonderous realisations that people’s experiences of you echo on regardless of your own journey, appreciation and recognition of the people who keep you safe and a good bit of dystopian realisation to cap it off,” the band explains. The release follows their 2025 return with “Still Breathing,” which earned airplay on Kerrang Radio’s Fresh Blood show with Alex Baker and drew praise from GBHBL, who called the track “Oozing passion, showcasing explosivity, and delivering powerful melodies that are undeniably infectious.”

The EP closes with “Watch The World Decay,” featuring guest vocals from William Alex Young of Defences. The track confronts rampant division and racism in the current political landscape. “The world is a scary place,” the band states. “There are populist politicians taking the world by storm, riling up the masses with divisive and emotive issues. There is nothing easier than to manipulate you by implying your problems are due to a group of people you struggle to relate to. After the haze, division and anger we might look back and realise what we have let happen. This isn’t a new story, it’s been told before. This is our creative re-telling of a text that never seems to stop being relevant.”

Luke Concannon Releases ‘Midnight Bloom’ And Announces Special Nizlopi Show

Eric Alper
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Luke Concannon Releases ‘Midnight Bloom’ And Announces Special Nizlopi Show

Anglo-Irish activist musician Luke Concannon has released his new album ‘Midnight Bloom’ and announced a special Nizlopi show at London’s Moth Club later this month. Best known as one half of folk duo Nizlopi, whose 2005 single “JCB” hit number one and deeply influenced a young Ed Sheeran during his internship with the band, Concannon returns with a joyful yet hard-hitting record born from resilience. The album follows three years of illness after being diagnosed with IBS and burn-out, a period that saw his creativity disappear and fatigue dominate his daily life.

His recovery began when he bought eight acres of Vermont woods to build a house for himself and his pregnant wife Stephanie, who was completing her Master’s Degree in Boston. Living in a small tent while constructing a yurt, Concannon wrote songs at 5am every morning as his creative spirit returned through physical work. “I’m a recovering perfectionist,” he explains. “I’m learning to let go and realise that ‘good enough’ is a better way to approach our lives. We live in an area with a rich history of back-to-the-landers who lived on the edges of culture, and yet still managed to shake up the world through community, art, and politics.” Soon after, Stephanie completed her degree, they welcomed their son Oran, and the songs became his first album in four years.

Soulful opener “Shine” addresses the hostility of workaholism and its effect on creativity, while “Stick Together” calls for unification amid current world events. Multi-instrumentalist Darius Christian, who has worked with Adele, Lenny Kravitz, Mumford & Sons, and Gwen Stefani, performs throughout the record, arranging and playing all horns plus various keys, bass lines, and harmonies. Striking slow-burners like “A Woman is Sacred,” inspired by meeting two women at a songwriting retreat and hearing about unrealistic industry expectations, sit alongside R&B-inflected tracks “Dance With You” and “Romy You’re Magical.” “Brother” takes a harrowing perspective: “This track was written from the perspective of a Ukrainian and Russian soldier on either side of the war. It recognises the madness of the whole thing, war leading to mass murder of people who are often our closest neighbours.”

Belfast Metal Act Nihilanth Return With New Single “Ruin”

Eric Alper
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0
Belfast Metal Act Nihilanth Return With New Single “Ruin”

Belfast metal outfit Nihilanth have released their new single “Ruin,” marking their first material since the success of “The Valley Beneath.” The track previews the band’s forthcoming EP, slated for early 2026. The release follows a breakthrough year that saw Nihilanth win Metal 2 The Masses Belfast 2024 and perform to a packed crowd on the New Blood Stage at Bloodstock Open Air. Previous single “The Valley Beneath” received airplay on BBC Introducing with Alyx Holcombe, establishing the band as one of Ireland’s most promising heavy acts.

“‘Ruin’ is a song about battling inner demons, self-destruction and deprivation,” the band explains. “You can be your own worst enemy, but even when you’re in the darkest of mindsets, we still have the capacity and realisation that all is not lost.” The track blends atmosphere, intensity, and emotional depth with the crushing heaviness that has defined Nihilanth’s live performances since their formation in summer 2021.

The band released their debut EP ‘Destroyer of Worlds’ on March 17th, 2023, quickly establishing themselves within the Irish metal scene through their visceral stage presence. “Ruin” elevates their sound further, offering a cathartic yet devastating glimpse into their creative evolution.

Cootie Catcher Signs To Carpark Records And Shares “Gingham Dress” Single

Eric Alper
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Cootie Catcher Signs To Carpark Records And Shares “Gingham Dress” Single

Toronto quartet Cootie Catcher has signed to Carpark Records and marked the announcement with new single “Gingham Dress.” The chiming, driving track arrives with a Khalil Haddad-directed video and serves as the band’s first release since their sophomore album ‘Shy at First’ landed in March. The single explores the weight of one-sided emotional investment with clarity and conviction.

“This song was written at the end of an ‘almost’ relationship (but a very real one nonetheless), when I was frustrated with how things fell apart,” Sophia Chavez explains. “It’s about wanting commitment, carrying all the weight and then being forced to step away because of someone else’s indecision. This song is like drawing a line in the sand saying ‘I’ve put in all the effort, if this is going to work it has to come from you now.’ I love the theme of domesticity as a backdrop for intimacy and hopeless devotion.”

The release of ‘Shy at First’ drew widespread acclaim from The FADER, who called the album “as exhilarating as cold beer secretly sipped in the park on a summer day, with a fun-loving and endlessly passionate spontaneity coursing throughout each of the songs.” Exclaim noted “Their songs have an open, weightless feeling to them, with little tiny moments of pure pop goodness that stick with you long after the album is done.” Stereogum featured “Dumb Lit” among their ‘5 Best Songs of the Week’, while FLOOD Magazine, Rosy Overdrive, and others championed the record.

Leah Blevins Shares Dan Auerbach Produced “All Dressed Up” From Debut Album

Eric Alper
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Leah Blevins Shares Dan Auerbach Produced “All Dressed Up” From Debut Album

Kentucky singer and songwriter Leah Blevins has released “All Dressed Up,” the lead single from her Dan Auerbach-produced Easy Eye Sound debut. The album ‘All Dressed Up’ arrives March 20th. Drawing on the sultry Southern gothic sensibility of Bobbie Gentry and the torchy whisper of Dusty Springfield’s ‘Dusty in Memphis’, the Sandy Hook native crafts a soul-searching ballad that confronts the collision between desire and devastation. The track blends exquisite electric guitars with a slow shuffle, creating space for acoustic strums and an elegant rhythmic sweep that carries the song with quiet dignity.

“You turned my world upside down/ I heard them talk, word got around,” Blevins opens, before landing on the gut punch: “It was all just a game, and I went up in flames.” The chorus sharpens the recognition with brutal clarity: “I got all dressed up to be let down/ when you dragged my heart on the muddy ground.” “There are all kinds of emotions in this world,” Blevins explains, “and the best songs are a tangle of sometimes opposite feelings. ‘All Dressed Up’ is that hopeful, wonderful feeling of being completely in love – and how wrecking it can be when you realize how far from that reality you are. When you realize you’re a fool, well, that’s what the chorus is all about.”

Raised on the bluegrass-stained country of Loretta Lynn, Patty Loveless, Dwight Yoakam and fellow Sandy Hook native Keith Whitley, Blevins writes with unflinching emotional honesty. “I write what I feel, what I think other people feel, too,” she says. “Dan is someone who gets there’s more to a song than what’s on the surface. He’s not afraid to leave room on the tracks for the emotions to spread out and really color the recording. As a co-writer and producer, he creates something that is almost beyond honest, which I love.” The accompanying video, produced by Ford Fairchild, delivers the same timeless quality that defines the recording itself.

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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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