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Neon Union Calls It Quits

Eric Alper
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Neon Union Calls It Quits

ome goodbyes in this business hit harder than others. When Nashville-based country duo Neon Union — Andrew Millsaps and Leo Brooks — announced their split on Friday, it wasn’t entirely surprising, but it was the kind of news that makes you stop scrolling. These two had something genuine. Not manufactured, not committee-built. And in today’s music landscape, that’s rarer than people think.

A lot of acts come and go, and what tends to stay isn’t the chart positions or the streaming numbers — it’s the moments. For Neon Union, those moments were plenty. A Grand Ole Opry debut. An ACM nomination for Best New Duo or Group. A debut album, Good Years, released just last year. For a duo that only formed in 2022, that’s not a footnote — that’s a career highlight reel most artists spend a decade trying to build.

What stands out most in their individual statements is the grace. Millsaps called their time together “a very impactful and special chapter” and says he’s ready for whatever comes next. Brooks — who brought a fascinating background to the duo, having toured as a bassist with Pitbull before country music came calling — kept it warm and simple: the friendship continues, and the two plan to keep writing songs together. In an industry that can turn complicated fast, that kind of mutual respect deserves to be acknowledged.

The fans are understandably disappointed. Neon Union built a loyal community — the kind that shows up, buys the ticket, and learns every word. Those fans aren’t just losing a band, they’re losing a soundtrack to something personal. That always matters more than the industry gives it credit for.

Neither Millsaps nor Brooks should be counted out. Talented, grounded, and by all accounts well-regarded by everyone around them — that combination has a way of finding its path back. Whatever comes next for both artists, the foundation they built with Neon Union is anything but wasted.

How to Copyright Your Music in Canada

Eric Alper
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How to Copyright Your Music in Canada

If you’ve spent years working in the music industry like I have, one question comes up again and again from artists at every stage of their career: “How do I protect my music?” It’s one of the most important things any creator can do, and thankfully in Canada, the law is largely on your side from the very moment inspiration strikes. But knowing the basics isn’t enough — understanding how to actively protect and monetize your rights is what separates artists who get paid from those who get taken advantage of. Let me walk you through what every Canadian musician needs to know about copyright.

Your Copyright Begins the Moment You Create

Here’s something that surprises a lot of artists: in Canada, copyright protection occurs as soon as a work is created and fixed in a material form of expression. Iclg That means the second you record that voice memo, finish that demo, or write out those lyrics, you own it. Registration with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) is not required for copyright to exist — but that doesn’t mean you should skip it. Registering your copyright with CIPO entitles you to a registration certificate that constitutes official proof of ownership, creating a rebuttable presumption that copyright exists and that you are the owner. In plain language: if someone steals your song, that certificate makes your legal case significantly stronger.

Understanding What’s Actually Protected

Canadian copyright law protects two distinct things when it comes to music. A copyright in relation to music law may mean two things — a copyright in the case of a sound recording, and a copyright in the case of a performer’s performance. That’s your composition and your recorded performance — two separate rights that can be owned, licensed, and monetized independently. As a copyright owner, you have the exclusive right to produce or reproduce the work, perform it in public, publish it, communicate it to the public by telecommunication, and make the work available online, among other rights. Knowing this distinction matters enormously when you’re negotiating deals with labels, publishers, or sync licensing companies.

How Long Does Protection Last?

As of December 30, 2022, the term of copyright in Canada is life-plus-seventy years — an extension of 20 years from the former term of life-plus-fifty. Works protected by copyright on or after December 30, 2022 receive this additional 20 years of protection. That’s a meaningful win for artists and their estates. One practical note: at the bare minimum, you should include identification of ownership on all published material by use of the © symbol with your name and the year — simple, free, and an important first line of defence. And if you’re touring internationally, don’t worry: Canadian copyright ownership is recognized in other countries, as long as the country belongs to one of the international copyright treaties, including the Berne Copyright Convention, the Universal Copyright Convention, the Rome Convention, and the World Trade Organization.

Registering with SOCAN and Collecting Your Royalties

Copyright ownership is one thing — actually getting paid is another. This is where organizations like SOCAN come in. SOCAN serves and champions more than 185,000 music creators and publishers, licenses the world’s music, and collects and distributes royalties in Canada and around the world. Registering your works with SOCAN ensures you’re compensated whenever your music is publicly performed or broadcast. The Act also provides for the division of royalties when collected by musicians’ collectives, with the performer and the composer each entitled to 50%. Beyond SOCAN, there are other collectives worth knowing about — the Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency (CMRRA), which licenses reproduction rights including synchronization rights; Re:Sound, which collects royalties for performing artists and record companies; and CONNECT Music Licensing, which licenses the reproduction of sound recordings on behalf of record companies, producers and artists.

I’ve seen too many talented Canadian artists leave money on the table simply because they didn’t take these steps early enough. Your music is your livelihood, your legacy, and your intellectual property — treat it accordingly. Register with CIPO, sign up with SOCAN, understand the difference between your composition rights and your master rights, and when in doubt, consult an entertainment lawyer. The Canadian music industry is full of opportunity, and protecting your work is the foundation everything else is built on.

Matthew Alexander Emerges as a Folk/Americana Artist to Watch with Title Single from Upcoming ‘The Matter of the Heart’ Album

Eric Alper
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Matthew Alexander Emerges as a Folk/Americana Artist to Watch with Title Single from Upcoming ‘The Matter of the Heart’ Album

Matthew Alexander has long been a hidden gem in the American folk and roots scene, but with his ninth solo album, ‘The Matter of the Heart,’ due May 2026, he is poised to become one of the year’s essential voices. A songwriter raised in the Cambridge-Boston folk tradition now based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Alexander’s music reflects a lifetime of lived experience, filtered through an Americana lens both timeless and fresh.

The album’s title track, written with long-time collaborator Steve Bhaerman, weaves wisdom and urgency into a chorus that insists, “The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart.” It is this blend of poetic simplicity and profound insight that sets Alexander apart. His voice, described by Americana Highways as possessing “the same genuine tonality found in the voices of John Prine and Kris Kristofferson,” carries both warmth and gravity.

“I know it sounds cliché, but I truly do see this as my finest record,” Alexander explains. “The craft of writing, the quality of the production, and the emotional power of the songs all came together in a way that feels different – more complete.”

Born in Manhattan to a composer father and a poet mother, Alexander was steeped in music and language from the start. As a teenager, he took lessons with the late Artie Traum and developed a guitar style influenced by Dave Van Ronk and Mississippi John Hurt. His early songs were published by Tin Pan Alley’s Lou Stallman, and he went on to open for Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt and Billy Joel as a solo act and as part of the folk trio Moonshine.

Alexander’s career has been marked by critical acclaim, with his 2020 album ‘Soul River’ peaking at #11 on the Folk Alliance International Album Chart and its single “Steel Rail Blues” reaching #3. His 2023 release ‘Midnight Dream Station’ leaned toward piano-driven folk-pop, featuring the single “An Apolitical Man,” which Americana Highways premiered to strong response.

The new album builds on that trajectory with songs that are deeply personal yet universally resonant. “A Crooked Rhyme” warns of the corrosive power of disinformation, while “A Boy of Ten” recounts the trauma of his brother’s suicide with unflinching honesty: “But the Beatles said it straight, you have to carry that weight, a long, long time.” Balancing the heaviness are songs like “Explosion,” a jubilant love song, and “A Love Worth Fighting For,” which radiates gratitude and devotion.

“The isolation of the pandemic gave me the opportunity to dig more deeply into my music,” Alexander reflects. “All of a sudden, I was flooded with ideas—thirty songs in six months. It was one of those rare times when the heavens opened and the songwriting gods revealed themselves.”

As an interpreter of the American experience, Alexander finds inspiration in both intimate relationships and broader cultural anxieties. His song “Troubled Times” captures the uncertainty of the present moment yet insists that love remains a force to hold onto. Elsewhere, “Don’t Let the Night Steal Your Dreams” offers resilience and hope, sung with the conviction of someone who has lived its lessons.

What sets Alexander apart in the crowded Americana landscape is not only his lyrical honesty but also his ability to marry folk authenticity with pop accessibility. His arrangements balance acoustic guitar, piano, and subtle orchestrations, creating a sound at once rooted and expansive.

With a spring 2026 North Carolina tour on the horizon, Matthew Alexander stands ready to bring his songs to the audiences who need them most. For an artist whose career has quietly spanned decades, ‘The Matter of the Heart’ feels like both a culmination and a new beginning – a reminder that even in troubled times, the heart still matters most.

Toronto Multi-Hyphenate John Lewitt Releases Vibrant New Pop-Rock Anthem “Six Ways to Sunday”

Eric Alper
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Toronto Multi-Hyphenate John Lewitt Releases Vibrant New Pop-Rock Anthem “Six Ways to Sunday”

Renowned songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist John Lewitt is set to capture the spirit of optimism with his latest single, “Six Ways To Sunday,” out now. The track serves as the cornerstone of his upcoming 11th solo album of the same name, offering a masterclass in pop-rock craftsmanship that draws inspiration from the timeless melodicism of the Beatles and the rugged heart of Tom Petty. Written, performed, mixed, and produced entirely by Lewitt, the project highlights his “old school” dedication to organic instrumentation and pure, joyful songwriting.

“Six Ways To Sunday” is an upbeat exploration of a life lived through music, acknowledging a journey filled with unique successes while maintaining an unwavering eye toward the future. The song’s infectious energy is matched by its lyrical candor, featuring standout lines such as: “I’m six ways to Sunday / Yeah I’m only okay / I’m done trying everything / And banking on what tomorrow will bring”. The single creates an immediate sense of camaraderie, inviting listeners into a sonic space where perseverance is celebrated with a driving beat and a hopeful outlook.

Based in Toronto, Lewitt identifies first and foremost as a songwriter, a passion that has fueled a staggering output of 15 albums since he began officially releasing music in 2016. His creative versatility has led him to the stages of iconic venues such as Roy Thomson Hall and the Horseshoe Tavern, as well as into the world of film and television sync. In the last two years alone, his work has been featured in a diverse array of programming, including The Young & The Restless, ESPN Portraits, and 7 Little Johnstons, proving his ability to craft melodies that resonate across medium and genre.

The production of the new single and the forthcoming album represents a return to foundational artistry. Eschewing virtual instruments, Lewitt played every note and sang every harmony himself, creating a rich, hand-crafted sound that feels both nostalgic and refreshingly modern. This “all-in” approach extends to his work as a producer for other artists, including his recent collaboration on the Yacht Rock project Rum & Jasmine and producing debut releases for rising talents Lexi Cosentino and Jonathan Sanson.

Beyond the studio, Lewitt is deeply committed to the health of the Canadian music ecosystem. As a dedicated philanthropist, he actively supports initiatives such as MusiCounts, The Doane School of Music, and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, ensuring that the next generation of storytellers has the tools to thrive. This spirit of community and mentorship informs his own music, which he views as a necessary respite and a source of genuine fun in a complex world.

With “Six Ways To Sunday,” Lewitt cements his status as one of Canada’s most prolific and reliable musical voices. The single is a testament to the power of a great hook and the enduring relevance of the classic singer-songwriter tradition. Fans can pre-save the track and prepare for the full album release this April, as Lewitt continues to prove that his best stories are still being told.

2026 JUNO Nominee Chris McKhool Brings New Children’s Album ‘Little Leaf’ to Northern Ontario on Cross-Province Tour

Eric Alper
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2026 JUNO Nominee Chris McKhool Brings New Children’s Album ‘Little Leaf’ to Northern Ontario on Cross-Province Tour

Chris McKhool – 7x Canadian Folk Music Award winner, 2026 JUNO nominee for Children’s Album of the Year, and one of the country’s most beloved family entertainers – today announces an eleven-date northern Ontario tour in celebration of his long-awaited new album Little Leaf. Running from April 22 through May 5, the tour touches down in Iroquois Falls, Kirkland Lake, Cobalt, Sault Ste. Marie, Longlac, Geraldton, Sioux Lookout, Dryden, Kenora, Fort Frances, and Atikokan – bringing McKhool’s joyful, fully interactive live show to communities across the region.

Little Leaf marks McKhool’s first children’s album since FiddleFire! – the release that won him the Canadian Folk Music Award for Children’s Album of the Year and earned his first JUNO nomination in the category – making it one of the most anticipated records of his three-decade career. The album takes its guiding philosophy from the natural world: “The songs speak to how all living beings around us are part of our community,” McKhool explains. “You can pick up a leaf and name it – when you name the plants and the animals around you, they become personal, and you see them as part of your circle. The children in our lives also represent little leaves, falling free from their parents and becoming independent, while forever connected to their family and natural environment.”

The album is characteristically generous in its collaborations, featuring songs written with Ojibway Elder Duke Redbird alongside works by Canadian legends David Archibald and Bing Jensen. McKhool’s live show is equally abundant – part concert, part environmental celebration, and entirely participatory. Children join the band onstage to play percussion instruments from around the globe, dance to the global grooves, and sing songs about caring for the planet. For thirty years, McKhool has brought his audiences to a new level of understanding of our connection to forests, air, water, and animals, reaching over one million children live in concert along the way.

McKhool is joined on tour by bandmates from his other celebrated project Sultans of String – also a multiple CFMA winner – including Saskia Tomkins on fiddle and nyckelharpa and Kevin Laliberté on guitar. The ensemble brings the same warmth and virtuosity that has made Sultans of String a fixture on Canadian stages to the joyful, world-music-inflected sound of Little Leaf.

The recognition surrounding McKhool and this album speaks for itself. Hailed as a “children’s musical star” by the National Post and “Canada’s greatest eco-troubadour for young people” by the Mississauga Living Arts Centre, he is a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal recipient, a Green Toronto Award winner, a 2025 Festivals & Events Ontario Performer of the Year, and was recently inducted into the Burlington Performing Arts Centre Hall of Fame and presented with Burlington’s Key to the City. Bob Ezrin, producer of Pink Floyd and KISS, has offered his own characteristically succinct assessment: “Chris McKhool and the boys were fantastic. They can play my Bar Mitzvah.”

Tickets and full tour information are available at https://fiddlefire.com/tour.

TOUR DATES

APR 22 – Iroquois Falls Arts Council – Boyle Auditorium, Iroquois Falls

APR 23 – Kirkland Lake Entertainment – Northern College, Kirkland Lake

APR 24 – Pied Piper Kidshow – Classic Theatre, Cobalt

APR 26 – Over the Rainbow – Korah Collegiate, Sault Ste. Marie

APR 28 – Geraldton Children’s Series – Longlac (Education Show)

APR 29 – Geraldton Children’s Series – Geraldton (Education Show)

APR 30 – Kids Kaleidoscope – Sioux North HS, Sioux Lookout

MAY 1 – Dryden Youth Entertainment Series – Dryden Regional Cultural Centre, Dryden

MAY 3 – Sunday Smiles Family Entertainment Series – St. John Paul II, Kenora

MAY 4 – Kids and Company – Townshend Theatre, Fort Frances

MAY 5 – Atikokan Children’s Entertainment Series – St. Patrick’s, Atikokan

Carla Muller Shares Two Personal New Songs “That Tree” and “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” Honouring Her Sisters

Eric Alper
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Carla Muller Shares Two Personal New Songs “That Tree” and “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” Honouring Her Sisters

Carla Muller has always written from the heart, and with the release of two deeply personal new songs – “That Tree” and “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” – the Woolwich, Ontario singer-songwriter invites listeners into the most sacred corners of her life: her relationships with her sisters. Both tracks are available now via Canterbury Music Company, and together they form an extraordinary emotional diptych – a celebration of resilience, devotion, and the fierce, unbreakable bonds of sisterhood.

“That Tree,” co-written with the late Sean Cunnington, is a song born from a true story that has lived rent-free in Muller’s memory for decades. Her older sister Erika once climbed a towering oak tree as a young girl, fell thirty feet, and – in a feat of sheer, breathtaking grit – got up and walked home. Then, just four months later, when her bicycle was stolen, she jumped onto Carla’s bike – flat tires and all – and chased the adult thief down the street until she returned with both bicycles in tow. “I still remember how proud Erika looked, walking our two bikes back to where I sat waiting, stunned,” Muller recalls. The song distils that lifelong awe into something luminous and universal, transforming one girl’s extraordinary stubbornness into a roadmap for anyone who has ever stared up at an impossibly high branch: “I know that branch / Seems out of reach / But you’ve gotta try / If you’re gonna climb that tree.”

For journalists covering stories of women’s resilience, the power of chosen and blood family, or the art of narrative songwriting, “That Tree” offers a rare and irresistible angle – a love letter written sideways, from a little sister too overwhelmed by admiration to say these words out loud until she set them to music.

“Everything’s Gonna Be Alright,” co-written with Scott Metcalfe, carries a weight that is both joyful and heartbreaking in equal measure. Muller wrote it in 2008, when her younger sister lay in a coma for nineteen days, and Carla sat beside her, singing it again and again into the silence. The doctors suggested that Francine likely couldn’t hear her. She woke up and immediately asked what that beautiful song was. “So, I’ll stay and watch you while you sleep / Here in the darkness of this night / But I know this must be true / God is watching over you / And everything’s gonna be alright” – these words, first sung in a hospital room, ultimately became her own, a song she knew by heart and carried with her always. Francine passed away suddenly in October 2024 from a heart condition, and Muller played the song at her funeral, singing her baby sister to sleep one final time. The story behind this recording – completed while Francine was still alive and thrilled it had made the album – is the kind of profound, human detail that transcends music journalism and speaks to anyone who has ever loved someone fiercely and imperfectly.

Produced at Canterbury Music Company by Muller and Scott Metcalfe, in collaboration with veteran engineers Jeremy Darby and Julian Decorte, both songs carry the warmth and craftsmanship that have defined Muller’s creative home for the past five years. Working alongside an extraordinary roster of Canadian musical talent – including Jason Fowler, Rob Piltch, Burke Carroll, Drew Jurecka, Sam Clarke, Ross MacIntyre and many others – Muller has developed a singular sound rooted in acoustic intimacy and cinematic storytelling. The co-writing relationship with Sean Cunnington, whose memory also inspired “Beautiful Day” on ‘Paper Stars,’ lends “That Tree” an especially poignant dimension, honouring both the sister who inspired it and the collaborator who helped bring it to life.

For Muller, these songs represent the fullest expression of her artistic philosophy: she writes for the people she loves, drawing on the specific and the lived-in to illuminate something far larger. Where many artists reach for the universal by stripping away detail, Muller doubles down – a ten-speed Schwinn bicycle, a rose-coloured velvet rocking chair, a girl who didn’t know her name after a fall but walked home anyway. These are the textures of real life, and in Muller’s hands they become something extraordinarily moving. Both tracks sit within her landmark dual album release – ‘In Between’ and ‘Paper Stars’ – available now via M.I.C. Music Productios, a body of work that announces her as one of Canada’s most compelling and authentic voices in the singer-songwriter tradition.

Carla Muller lives in Woolwich, Ontario with her husband Tom and their three children, and writes with the conviction of someone who knows exactly what – and who – matters most. “I write from my heart, for the people I love, and for myself – past and present,” she says. “It’s a good place to be.” “That Tree” and “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” are out now. Both songs are destined to find the people who need them most.

Bif Naked Brings Definitive New Documentary to Departure Festival and Conference May 9, 2026

Eric Alper
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Bif Naked Brings Definitive New Documentary to Departure Festival and Conference May 9, 2026

Departure Festival + Conference is proud to announce that Canadian punk icon Bif Naked will headline a landmark evening on May 9, 2026, at Toronto’s Paradise Theatre – featuring the Toronto premiere of the biographical documentary BIF NAKED, directed by Pollyanna Hardwicke-Brown, followed by an intimate acoustic performance and audience Q&A. The event marks one of the most anticipated cultural moments of the festival, bringing together film, live music, and one of the most magnetic presences in Canadian music history for an evening that promises to be truly unforgettable.

BIF NAKED is the definitive portrait of one of Canada’s most enduring and singular artists. Drawing on rare archival footage, exclusive interviews, and anthemic live performances, filmmaker Pollyanna Hardwicke-Brown delivers a documentary as fearless and unfiltered as its subject. The film traces Bif’s journey from a birth kept secret in India, through adoption by American missionaries and a childhood in Canada, to her emergence as a galvanising force in the underground punk scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s – and beyond, into the international rock stardom that followed. Interviewees include George Stroumboulopoulos, Doug Fury, Chiko Misomali, and Peter Karroll, each offering their own testament to an artist who changed the course of Canadian music.

The film does not shy away from the full breadth of Bif’s story. With the raw honesty that has always defined her, she opens up about surviving breast cancer, stroke, and kidney failure – as well as the sexual assault and systemic barriers she faced as a pioneer in a male-dominated rock industry. What emerges is not a story of hardship alone, but of extraordinary resilience: a woman who turned every obstacle into fuel, every scar into song, and every setback into the foundation of an even more formidable comeback. Hers is the kind of life that demands to be told on the largest possible canvas – and BIF NAKED rises fully to that charge.

Across 25-plus years in music, Bif Naked has built a legacy that spans punk, rock, spoken word, and advocacy – a body of work as diverse and defiant as the woman behind it. She found her voice in the underground and never surrendered it to the mainstream, becoming a beacon for misfits and a symbol of empowerment for generations of fans, particularly young women who saw in her a model for living without apology. A poet and a fighter in equal measure, her music has always carried the weight of real experience: the joy and the grief, the fury, and the tenderness. With the documentary now bringing her story to new audiences across Canada and beyond, that legacy is set to resonate louder than ever.

The May 9 event at the Paradise Theatre promises an evening of rare intimacy. Following the screening, Bif will take the stage for a live acoustic performance – stripping her catalogue back to its essential core – before opening the floor for a Q&A that is sure to be as candid and electric as everything she does. For audiences who have spent decades loving her music from a distance, this is an extraordinary opportunity to encounter Bif Naked up close: the artist, the survivor, and the storyteller, sharing the same room. The Departure Festival setting – with its tradition of celebrating the full breadth of Canadian musical life, from the emerging to the iconic – is a fitting home for this kind of evening.

The Departure premiere is part of a broader Canadian theatrical tour that has seen Bif and the documentary travel to venues in Toronto, Calgary, Kingston, and beyond since late 2025 – each screening paired with live acoustic sets and Q&A sessions that have generated extraordinary word of mouth and critical enthusiasm. This is not a passive film experience: it is a full evening with one of the country’s great performers at her most unguarded, and audiences across the country have responded with the kind of fervour that speaks to just how deep Bif Naked’s connection with her fans truly runs.

BIF NAKED is unfiltered, unstoppable, and louder than ever – and on May 9 at the Paradise Theatre, Toronto gets to experience exactly why. Tickets and full festival information are available through the Departure Festival + Conference website.

ABOUT BIF NAKED

Bif Naked is one of Canada’s most unique and enduring artists, celebrated for her fearless authenticity, punk rock ethos, and profound influence on Canadian music culture. From the underground punk scene to international stardom, her 25-year journey of resilience and empowerment continues to inspire audiences worldwide.

ABOUT THE DOCUMENTARY

BIF NAKED is directed by Pollyanna Hardwicke-Brown and features interviews with George Stroumboulopoulos, Doug Fury, Chiko Misomali, and Peter Karroll, alongside rare archival footage and live performances

EVENT DETAILS

Date: May 9, 2026

Venue: Paradise Theatre, Toronto, Ontario

Event: Departure Festival + Conference – Canadian Premiere Screening of BIF NAKED + Acoustic Performance + Q&A

Tickets Here

Award-Winning Canadian Singer-Songwriter Jon Mullane Releases New EP ‘The Road’

Eric Alper
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Award-Winning Canadian Singer-Songwriter Jon Mullane Releases New EP ‘The Road’

Jon Mullane, one of Canada’s most consistently compelling voices in modern rock, pop, and country – has released ‘The Road’, a five-song EP produced by Toronto’s Creighton Doane, available now on all major platforms. It is Mullane’s first artist-centric collection of new original songs since the pandemic, and it arrives with the confidence of an artist who knows exactly where he has been and exactly where he is going.

The road that led to ‘The Road’ ran through Nashville. Mullane spent the better part of two years travelling between his home in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia and Music City, reconnecting with old collaborators and forging new ones, and finding in that creative environment the inspiration to write songs that felt genuinely close and personal. Four of the five tracks were co-written in Nashville, including work with Grammy-nominated hitmaker Michael Dulaney – whose credits include Faith Hill, Blake Shelton, Kenny Chesney, Jason Aldean, and Rascal Flatts among dozens of others – and Michael Jay, the songwriter and producer behind Martika’s Number One Billboard hit “Toy Soldiers”, whose work spans Celine Dion, Eminem, Gloria Estefan, and New Kids On The Block. For Mullane, being back in Nashville normalised what he has always known: “It’s just everyday business there, as opposed to most other places in the world, and feels right to me.”

The EP’s lead single “Remember in November”, co-written with Dulaney and Jay and recorded at Nashville’s legendary Peer Music Publishing studio, announced the collection with warmth and melody to spare – a reflective anthem about connection, memory, and the golden glow of late summer. The music video scored a win at the 2026 California Music Video Awards for Best of Canada Music Video, nominated in three categories. Current single “Moon on Fire” has since climbed to #1 on the Yangaroo/DMDS chart, appearing among the Top CANCON Downloads, Most Active Indies, and Top Country Downloads simultaneously.

Across the EP’s five songs – “Remember in November”, “Moon on Fire”, “Follow Your Own Road”, “One Day Closer”, and “Bring It On” – the common thread is feeling. Joy, hope, sadness, purpose, and the satisfaction of knowing you have followed your own instincts all the way to the finish line. “After being in this industry for quite some time now, it seems every song and album I make takes on a special meaning on this musical journey,” Mullane says. “Putting it out to the world to find a home seems like a gift to me.” 

It is a gift well earned. Mullane has released five full-length albums, charted multiple Top 40 Billboard singles in Canada and the US, placed his music with NBC’s Olympic Games coverage, and performed everywhere from the House of Blues in Hollywood to the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles to the Molson Canadian Centre in New Brunswick. The Associated Press has called him “one of Canada’s most consistently compelling voices in contemporary pop-rock.” ‘The Road’ makes the case all over again.

Liss Gallery Brings Todd White and Lynn Goldsmith to Toronto’s Yorkville This Spring

Eric Alper
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Liss Gallery Brings Todd White and Lynn Goldsmith to Toronto’s Yorkville This Spring

Liss Gallery is proud to announce two unmissable exhibitions this spring at its Yorkville location, 112 Cumberland Street. On May 9th, the gallery opens a new showing of original oil paintings and limited edition works by Todd White – the Austin-based painter whose rat-pack-meets-Picasso vision has made him one of the most beloved and collected figurative artists working today. Then on June 6th, Liss Gallery welcomes the legendary Lynn Goldsmith, presenting a rare opportunity to acquire silver gelatin and C prints from one of the most celebrated music photographers in history. Together, the two exhibitions make for a season that is as visually thrilling as anything the gallery has mounted in its 30-plus years as a trusted leader in contemporary art.

TODD WHITE – OPENING MAY 9TH, 2026

Todd White’s paintings arrive already carrying a reputation. His canvases – populated by asymmetrical faces, eloquent hands, cigarettes, martinis, and the warm fog of late-night rooms – have found their way into the collections of Vin Diesel, Hugh Hefner, Macaulay Culkin, Eric McCormack, Ryan Stiles, and Joe Rogan, and galleries consistently struggle to keep his work in stock. The style he has developed, born during his years working on ‘Tiny Toons’ and ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’ at Warner Bros., translates the precision of character design into something richly expressive and deeply human. “I actually name my pieces first and then visualise each face and its personality,” White has said. “Then I develop each person’s story.” Whatever is not essential to that story is left off the canvas. Backgrounds rarely appear. Hands, by contrast, are everything – each one, in White’s view, full of personality. The result is work that demands a second look and rewards it: intimate, humorous, and unmistakably his own.

LYNN GOLDSMITH – OPENING JUNE 6TH, 2026

If Todd White captures imagined lives with painterly invention, Lynn Goldsmith captured real ones with a camera and the instincts of an artist who understood that a photograph, at its best, performs. Her images – silver gelatin and C prints spanning decades of rock, soul, blues, and pop history – are held in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Her subjects read like a roll call of the 20th century’s defining voices: Bob Marley, Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith, David Bowie, Prince, Michael Jackson, the Rolling Stones, KISS, Blondie, Bob Dylan, and dozens more – each captured not merely as a subject but as a presence, fully revealed. Goldsmith has won a Lucie Award, honours from World Press Photo, and a Lifetime Achievement award from the Professional Photographers of America. The Liss Gallery exhibition brings her work to Toronto in intimate, collectible form – an extraordinary opportunity for anyone who has ever felt the power of a great rock photograph.

Liss Gallery is located at 112 Cumberland Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5R 1A6. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 12:00pm to 5:00pm, with Monday visits available by appointment. For inquiries, contact the gallery at 416-787-9872 or info@lissgallery.com. For collecting and acquisition, contact Brian Liss directly at brianliss@lissgallery.com. Visit lissgallery.com for full exhibition details.

Scottish Singer-Songwriter Graham Robertson Releases Deeply Personal New EP ‘Haunted’

Eric Alper
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Scottish Singer-Songwriter Graham Robertson Releases Deeply Personal New EP ‘Haunted’

Graham Robertson has released ‘Haunted,’ a new EP that finds the Scottish singer-songwriter pushing his sound into more atmospheric, cinematic territory without losing the emotional honesty that has defined his work from the start. Built on his acoustic roots and shaped by memory and nuance, it’s a significant step forward for an artist with a career full of meaningful chapters.

Robertson has fronted multiple respected projects over the years, including This Lonely Heart with two founding members of Deacon Blue, and The Whisperers alongside Hue and Cry’s Lesley Robertson. His influences run deep, from Bruce Springsteen and John Martyn to Richard Thompson and Paddy McAloon, but his voice remains entirely his own. Warm, resonant, and built for storytelling.

Producer and guitarist Murray McEwan puts it well: “There’s a vulnerability and an honesty to Graham’s songs which it’s hard not to relate to emotionally. At the same time, there is a warm and breathy character to his voice that is as at home singing the ballads of John Martyn as it is delivering the technically challenging songs of Peter Gabriel.”

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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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