Only in America

Sturgill Simpson, Vince Staples, Laurie Anderson + Toronto live music listings

A song released on July 1 aimed at July 4, from the Canadian who, 40 years ago, turned down Top Gun because he didn’t want to promote U.S. militarism. Yes, here’s Bryan Adams, straight from the heart:

It’s better than bashing beavers, and it’s probably the first Adams song I’ve enjoyed in 42 years. We’ll save our CanCon dispute for another time.

Meanwhile, there is no better or more appropriate American song released in 2026 to matches the mood of that country’s bisesquiwhatever at an empty July 4 national fair, than this one by the Artist Formerly Known as Sturgill Simpson:

Things have been worse but I can't remember when
Wanna start a revolution, watch it begin

I almost titled this post “Make America not suck again,” another lyric from that song. But seriously, please: can this happen?

Johnny Blue Skies & the Dark Clouds – Mutiny After Midnight

(Atlantic Outpost)

Simpson’s entire career has been filled with left turns, from psychedelic country to Stax soul to fuzzed-out ’80s arena rock to bluegrass to yacht rock. Now that he’s adopted this new paradoxical stage name for himself and his band, Mutiny After Midnight is a perfect amalgam of almost everything he’s ever done — although no bluegrass.

“Excited Delirium” pairs pointed politics about living in a police state with a thrill-ride ZZ Top groove. It’s like Talking Heads’ “Life During Wartime” set at an anti-ICE rally: “How the hell you going to protect the peace, running ’round looking like you’re going to war?”

“Don’t Let Go” is a more more straight-ahead mid-tempo country rock song that would make Tom Petty proud — what could be more American than that?

Maybe “Stay on That,” which places a dirty musical pun — “Stay on that D, baby, ’til you hit that G” — over a groove that sounds like James Brown’s band meeting the Allman Brothers. Again, quintessentially American.

As is the chorus on “Everyone is Welcome,” which flips the Statue of Liberty on her head: “Nothing matters anymore, didn't you hear? Everyone is welcome to drown here.”

That’s before we get to the cover of William Bell’s “You Don’t Miss Your Water,” a 1961 single from the earliest days of Stax. Or, in the record’s biggest gamble, its most ridiculous move, and also one of its triumphs: a reggae cover of Eddie Murphy’s “Party All the Time” (yes, really).

Throughout it all, the band is blazing hot, perhaps in part because the record was recorded mostly live at Dan Auerbach’s Nashville studio, and the songs written on the spot. The normally lackadaisical Simpson is positively energized — and, yes, horny. “Situation” is about as close to Prince as white men are allowed to get in pop music. Whereas “Viridescent” is sweetly romantic.

Please enjoy the dance music video of the year:

Back in March, being the contrarian he is, Simpson initially threatened to release this only on physical media and, in Cindy Lee fashion, as a one-track YouTube stream. But as of a couple of weeks ago, it’s available on all streaming platforms.

No Canadian tour dates at the moment. His own country needs him.

(Update: He’s playing Vancouver on Sept 19)

Vince Staples – Cry Baby

(Loma Vista)

The narrative here is that this is rapper Vince Staples’s “rock” album — which, on many levels, is true, with its fuzzy electric bass, live drums and distorted guitars, which owe a lot to Danger Mouse (who’s not involved, but it sure sounds like he could’ve been). But it also points to the absurdity of genre in a segregated music industry in a country that’s turning the clock back on 75 years of civil-rights gains. In everything he’s done, Staples has blurred musical lines while being one of the most compelling rappers of his generation (he’s 32).

On a musical level alone, Cry Baby will easily be one of the best American records of the year, and one that will hopefully bring Staples a whole new audience.

But just as important is the lyrical punch Cry Baby delivers in 2026 America: Shootin' stars, scars like stripes, red, white, and blue police lights. Then there are the videos, one of which is too disturbing to post here directly, but this one gets several points across in more tasteful ways than Childish Gambino’s “This is America’:

The album release show, featuring a full live band, is on YouTube. Vince Staples brings his band to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on November 4 — two years to the day from when I saw Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band play Toronto on the last night of America.

Laurie Anderson and Sexmob – Let X = X (Live)

(Nonesuch)

“This is the time, and this is the record of the time.”

The three Laurie Anderson albums I enjoy the most are live records: Home of the Brave (1986), Live in New York (2002, recorded days after September 11, 2001), and now this.

Why is that? Maybe because they confirm the fact that Laurie Anderson is not an alien being nor a sentient android tasked with writing remarkable poetry but, in fact, a human being who makes music with other human musicians.

Here, she has (yet again) some of the best musicians in New York City: the band Sexmob, led by trumpeter Steven Bernstein with two other players doubling on horns and guitars (Douglas Wieselman, Briggan Krauss), and the incredibly versatile rhythm section of Tony Scherr and Kenny Wollesen, both of whom are frequently found with Bill Frisell and/or John Zorn.

Most curious is her cover of a song by her late husband, Lou Reed. That in itself is not odd at all, but she chose “Junior Dad,” from his final album, Lulu, the much-maligned collaboration with Metallica. She sings the mournful song — Kirk Hammett’s favourite, apparently — in such a low register I had to wonder if it was a sample of Reed’s original vocals. Most affecting is the song’s final lines:

When my father died
They put him in the ground
When my father died
It was like a whole library had burned down

It’s a career-spanning set, and colours some corners of her career I’d forgotten about, sometimes intentionally (like the reggae song “It’s Not the Bullet That Kills You”). While Anderson has consistently released contemporary material that speaks to the times (2010’s Homeland is another favourite), it’s chilling how prescient her earliest work sounds 45 years later.

“We are all going down … there is no pilot.”

All news no snooze

Angine de Poitrine’s free outdoor show at the Montreal Jazz Festival likely set an attendance record — impossible to quantify, of course (70,000+?), but organizers said they hadn’t seen anything like that since Stevie Wonder drew 200,000 there in 2009. If you want evidence that this band isn’t just an online novelty, there’s the proof right there. Six people were taken to hospital, which made the news — but really, it’s surprising that it was only six people in a crowd that size at the height of summer. Local authorities say the number of emergency calls was no different than for Osheaga or other large events.

Paul Wells reviews what he managed to see at Montreal’s festival, including Cécile McLorin-Salvant, Sullivan Fortner, and a 20-year-old trumpeter.

Ottawa’s big Canada Day concert was cancelled due to extreme heat conditions. Meanwhile, Peter Nicholson explains why a new Western oil pipeline doesn’t make sense on any level, especially economically.

Now that the trailer for Matt Johnson’s Anthony Bourdain biopic has dropped, writer Cailey Rizzo penned a beautiful piece about addiction, suicide, the promise and peril of travel writing, and learning to love your local environs.

Rush had to postpone two Texas gigs due to Geddy Lee’s laryngitis and bronchitis.

Entertainment lawyer and former Lemonhead/Blake Baby John Strohm breaks down the numbers on why some people believe that to succeed in the music business you need $250,000 more than you necessarily need talent.

Did/do you have a child who was/is obsessed with trains? Maybe to an unusual, obsessive degree? TNIT pal and documentarian Ian Daffern is crowdfunding to complete his beautiful film Railfan, about children on the autism spectrum for whom New York City’s subway system is a source of endless fascination.

Leslie Feist wants you to know the Toronto Island airport expansion is “a horrible idea for a thousand reasons.”

AI-eee!

Zeynep Tufekci on the human touch in the age of AI:

Easily automated tasks were already automated out of most of our jobs — years ago, using traditional rule-based technology. Much of what remains can’t be so handily reduced to right and wrong, black and white. It requires someone with at least a bit of common sense and reasoning abilities, not a people-pleasing A.I. chatbot that can be sweet-talked into doing things that defy logic.

Grace note

Eric Spitznagel on Mel Brooks’s centenary, fatherhood, pissing your pants, and tragicomic jokes passed through generations:

Mel Brooks turns 100 today, which feels almost redundant. He’s been pretending to be ridiculously old for most of my life. He was already the 2,000 Year Old Man when I first learned about him as a kid, so 100 almost feels like he’s getting younger. It’s an absurd number to attach to him. A century sounds dignified, and Mel Brooks has spent his life treating dignity like cowboys farting around a campfire.

T.O. SHOWS YOU SHOULD KNOW

An entirely subjective and by no means comprehensive look at Toronto’s concert calendar, tailored to musically curious people who are probably (but not necessarily) over 40. My strong recommendations in bold. Suggestions welcome.

Don’t live in Toronto? Most of these artists are on tour, so check your local listings. Just kidding! There are no local listings anymore. Check the artists’ websites.

JUST ANNOUNCED (mark your calendars)

Sate presents The Listening: July 15-18 at the Vault (2076 Danforth). A memoir/play directed by Djanet Sears.

Festival of Friends: July 31 to Aug 2 in Gage Park, Hamilton. Headliners, in order, are Feist, Dallas Smith, and Blackie and the Rodeo Kings backing up a bevy of stars, including Hawksley Workman, Maestro Fresh Wes, Dan Hill, Andy Kim, Ashley MacIsaac, Chantal Kreviazuk, Teenage Head, more. Free. Details here.

Old Crow Medicine Show: Aug 4 at History

Honey Jam: Aug 20 at Allied Music Centre (Massey Hall). 31st annual new talent showcase.

Howard Jones, Wang Chung, the English Beat, Modern English: Aug 23 at York U Stadium

Empanadas Ilegales: Aug 28 at Lula Lounge. B.C. psych-cumbia band.

Supercrawl: Sept 11-13 in downtown Hamilton, featuring Population II, Aysanabee, Mariel Buckley, Grapes of Wrath, William Prince, Reuben & Bullhorn Singers, Gizmo, Golden Feather, Chore, more.

Beautiful View festival: Sept 18-19 in Belleville, featuring Sarah Harmer, Jeremie Albino, and Ada Lea, Cadence Weapon, Thanya Iyer, more.

Brandon Flowers: Sept 24 at History

The Good Brothers: Oct 24 at Allied Music Centre (Massey Hall). Retirement show for Larry Good.

Blondshell, Prewn: Oct 27 at Danforth Music Hall

Tonight and ev-er-y night!:

The Tranzac, Drom Taberna, Cameron House and the Rex Hotel all have several great acts a night — just go! JazzInToronto.ca’s Instagram page has essential daily jazz listings at various venues. East-enders: always something on at Castro’s or Sauce on the Danforth or jazz at Hirut. Latin and Caribbean scene: Lula Lounge. Check out the eclectic lineup at the micro-intimate Sellers & Newel bookstore. The Whole Note lists classical events and more. Fans of experimental music, report to Earlobe. Hamiltonians need HamOntLive.

Coming this week:

Kelly McMichael (full band), Sophie Noel: July 2 at the Cameron 9 p.m. Maximum summer vibes here:

Run with the Kittens: July 2 at the Cameron 10 p.m.

Kevin Breit & the Holy Men: July 2 at the Bell & Beacon

Dan Mangan, Joel Plaskett: July 2 at Royal Botanical Gardens, Burlington #HeartsOnFire

Mariposa Folk Festival: July 3-5 at Tudhope Park, Orillia. Featuring Father John Misty, Billy Bragg, Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory, St. Paul & the Broken Bones, Steve Earle, Taj Mahal, Sarah Harmer, Dan Mangan, Foxwarren, the Barr Brothers, Ducks Ltd., Great Lake Swimmers, Reuben & the Bullhorn Singers, Kalisway, Kelly McMichael, Lemon Bucket Orchestra, Gwenifer Raymond, more. Ticket info here.

Beaches Jazz Festival: July 3-26. Details here.

Tortoise, Basic (feat. Doug McCombs): July 3 at Concert Hall

Tania Gill presents Handcrafted Music: July 3 at Tranzac 7 p.m.

Ronley Teper and the Lipliners: July 3 at the Rex 5 p.m.

Washboard Hank & Reverend Ken: July 3 at the Cameron 6 p.m.

Freeman Dre and the Kitchen Party: July 3 at the Cameron 8.30 p.m.

Lionel Richie, Earth, Wind & Fire: July 4 at Raptors/Leafs Arena

The Church: July 4 at Concert Hall

Teiku: July 4 at Conxt By Trane. Chicago jazz luminaries from Natural Information Society and others play “Passover melodies in an improvised music setting.”

You Got Gold: A Celebration of John Prine: July 4 at Hot Docs Cinema 7 p.m.

“Weird” Al Yankovic: July 5 at Fallsview Casino

Aja Monet: July 5 at Great Hall

Taj Mahal: July 5 at Winter Garden Theatre

Santana, the Doobie Brothers: July 5 at Ontario Place Amphitheatre

Dave Clark presents Ethan Scott and Aniqa Dear: July 5 at Tranzac 7.30 p.m.

Muneed Hermans Quartet: July 5 at Contxt by Trane.

AntiDiva: The Carole Pope Confessions: July 6-7 at Paradise Theatre 6.30 p.m.

Oren Ambarchi: July 6 at Allan Gardens

Goat, Teke:Teke: July 6 at Concert Hall. Swedish heavy psych freaks.

Peripheral Vision (Hogg/Harley/Herring), Angelica Zavala Quartet: July 7 at Tranzac 9.30 p.m.

Cola (fka Ought): July 8 at Longboat Hall

Brodie West Quintet: July 8 at Tranzac 9.30 p.m.

Yoo II with Nolan Potter, Colin Fisher: July 9 at Lee’s Palace. Québécois supergroup of Population II and Yoo Doo Right. Reviewed here.

Arielle Soucy: July 9 at the Burdock. Polaris-longlisted Québécois singer-songwriter.

Key summer dates

Four Winds Music Fest: July 10-12 in Durham, Ontario, featuring Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, Bros. Landreth, Reuben and the Dark with Bullhorn Singers, Tom Wilson, more TBA.

Jack White, Angine de Poitrine: July 14 at Ontario Place Amphitheatre

Marcos Valle: July 14 at Lee’s Palace

Lucy Dacus: July 15 at Queen Elizabeth Theatre

Buddy Guy: July 15 at Massey Hall. No, really, the 90-year-old is packing it in on this farewell tour—which is what, his fourth? Fifth?

Hillside Festival: July 17-19 at Guelph Lake. Featuring Angine de Poitrine, Fulu Miziki, Cowboy Junkies, Donovan Woods, Stars, Matt Mays, Hollerado, Mae Martin, Mad Professor, Austra, Charlotte Cornfield, Gord Grdina’s Haram, Gwenifer Raymond, the Pairs, much more. Ticket info here.

Billy Talent, Death From Above 1979, Hollerado: July 18 at Ontario Place Amphitheatre. Playing Billy Talent II for its 20th anniversary. #HeartsOnFire

Death Cab for Cutie, Japanese Breakfast: July 19 at Ontario Place Amphitheatre

Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets: July 21 at Mod Club

Herbie Hancock: July 26 at Massey Hall

Metric, Broken Social Scene, Stars: Aug 7 at Ontario Place Amphitheatre. #HeartsOnFire #HeartsOnFire #HeartsOnFire

Alexisonfire, Underoath: Aug 14-15 at Ontario Place Amphitheatre. Performing Crisis for its 20th anniversary. #HeartsOnFire

Summerfolk (Owen Sound): Aug 21-23. Featuring Dan Mangan, Jane Siberry, Tom Wilson, Empanadas Illegales, Julian Taylor, Good Lovelies, more. Details here.

Toronto Folk Festival: Aug 21-23 on Ward’s Island. Featuring Abigail Lapell, Ahmed Moneka, Bobby Dove, Burs, Kobo Town, Meredith Moon, Mia Kelly, Divka, Jadea Kelly, more.

Blue Rodeo, William Prince, Billiane: Aug 29 at Ontario Place Amphitheatre #HaveNotBeentheSame

More Toronto concert listings until May 2027 are here and updated weekly for paid subscribers.

Here come the regulars

Every Monday: Tranzac open stage, 6.30 p.m. (Sign up at 6 p.m.)

Every Monday: Sean McCarthy’s Taproom Gang (trad jazz) at Steadfast Brewing 7 p.m.

Every Tuesday: Julian Fauth at Sauce on the Danforth 6.30 p.m.

Every Tuesday: swing night at Drom Taberna

Every Thursday: Strangetooth (bluegrass) at Tranzac 7 p.m.

Every Thursday: Good Enough Karaoke (live band) at Wheat Sheaf Tavern

Every Thursday: Corin Raymond at Cameron House, 6 p.m.

Every Saturday: The Happy Pals at Grossman’s, 3.30 p.m. 56 years strong!

Every Saturday: Michael Louis Johnson and the Red Rhythm at Communist’s Daughter 4 p.m.

Every Saturday: Robertson & Kerr at Cameron House 8.30 p.m.

Every Sunday: Eastern European Brunch at Drom Taberna 1-4 p.m.

Every Sunday: John Borra at Communist’s Daughter 5 p.m.

Every Sunday: Colonel Tom at Cameron House 6 p.m.

Every Sunday: Doghouse Orchestra at Cameron House, 10 p.m.

Are you over 40 and/or did you grow up with freeform radio?

If so, curated Toronto concert listings from now until May 2027—are here for paid subscribers, and updated weekly.

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