Floral Park (L-R): Matt Deir, Julian Antonini, and Rob Bourrie By: Michael Drukarsh - The local craft brewery in Newmarket, The Market Brewing Company , seemed like a very appropriate place to meet for this month’s Local Artist Spotlight. The casual atmosphere suited Matt Deir, guitarist and lead vocalist, as he arrived sporting his denim and trademark cowboy boots. Following closely behind him, Julian Antonini lead guitarist and vocalist and Rob Bourrie on stand up bass an

Wacken Metal Battle Canada; Ontario Finals at The Garrison. Photo By: Michael Drukarsh By: Michael Drukarsh Toronto, Ontario - As part of the official WOA Warm-Up parties and in celebration of Wacken Open Air 's 35th anniversary, 35 concerts happened in 35 different countries on April 18th, 2026. Hosted once again by The Garrison in downtown Toronto, The Wacken Metal Battle Canada Ontario finals saw three bands, Dawn Vally, Misothronos, and Gravearth battled it out on stag

Wrong Way Records (l-r: Store Manager Adam Rayfield, Newmarket Mayor John Taylor, Owner/General Manager Ray Pelletier By: Michael Drukarsh Newmarket, Ontario - The doors to Wrong Way Records in Newmarket opened at 8:00 am on April 18 to celebrate Record Store Day Canada 2026 (RSDC). Arriving just after 8, I figured I would be there to watch as things got set up and ready for the day. Turns out, I was late... With growing anticipation of the special vinyl releases in honor

Raven perform live at The Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto, Canada. Photo By: Jay Broderick By: Jay Broderick Toronto, Canada - Thirty‑five minutes before "doors" (which is actually a curtain), the Horseshoe Tavern was already buzzing... a full line running from the curtains at the back of the bar area out through the front door, metalheads of all ages shoulder‑to‑shoulder, waiting for a night of pure, sweat‑drenched heavy metal thanks again to Inertia Entertainment . The air ha

Puscifer perform live at OLG Stage in Niagara Falls, Canada. Photo By: Justin Michael Carriere By: Justin Michael Carriere Niagara Falls, Canada - Puscifer . If you know you know... if not, then I’mma tell ya!! When you step into the Pusciverse, the chaos is palpable. A theatrical world of storytelling populated with characters straight out of a Hunter S. Thompson novel. Maynard James Keenan brought his merry band of misfits to a near capacity OLG Stage crowd at the Fallsv

By: Michael Drukarsh - As the decline of vinyl music was evident, independent record store owners came together and in 2008 the first official Record Store Day (RSD) took place on April 19th in Mountain View, California hosting a major kickoff with Metallica. Seen as a celebration of vinyl music and culture, RSD quickly spread across the U.S. and then globally was celebrated in independent record stores from as far away as the U.K. and of course right here in Canada . Conti

Sam Roberts Band perform live at Massey Hall in Toronto, Ontario. Photo By: Justin Michael Carriere By: Justin Michael Carriere Toronto, Ontario - 20 years seems like a long time, but on this limited tour revisiting his sophomore album Chemical City , Sam Roberts seems more current than ever before. With seemingly prescient lyrics and a sound that feels right at home when stacked up with today’s offerings, the Canadian Rocker and his band brought the celebration to Massey H

Cancer Bats perform live at The Opera House in Toronto, Ontario. Photo By: Jojo Taylor By: Jojo Taylor Toronto, Ontario - Cancer Bats fans, you may regret reading this. If you missed their 20th anniversary party at The Opera House on April 10th, you missed the best show of the year so far! This was a celebration like no other. But, I will digress already to let you know who else showed up before I get to the highlight. Chastity Chastity perform live at The Opera House. Pho

Loose Jaw perform live at The Spot in Newmarket, Ontario. Photo By: Michael Drukarsh By: Michael Drukarsh Newmarket, Ontario - Once again The Spot in Newmarket opened its door for another all ages metal-core extravaganza. This time though, the premise behind the four band bill was a little more special as headliners Loose Jaw took the advice of owner Mike Capobianco and booked the venue as well as the supporting acts for their very own cd release party in celebration of th