The Witcher lives on in spite of Henry Cavill's departure from the series over reportedly "demanding" stunts, and its been announced that the series will conclude with a final fifth season at Netflix. Today, the streaming giant announced that Season 4 of The Witcher has started production in the UK, and will be shot back-to-back with the aforementioned Season 5. "It is with huge pride that we begin shooting our penultimate season of The Witcher with a stellar cast, including some exciting new additions, led by Liam Hemsworth as Geralt of Rivia," creator and showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich ..read more

As previously reported, Indo-Canadian Punjabi singer/rapper AP Dhillon has dropped out of the second weekend of Coachella following the backlash to him smashing a guitar on stage at the festival's first weekend. (Well, his team called it "scheduling conflicts," and a source told BrooklynVegan that Dhillon dropped out of Weekend 2 prior to his set last Sunday.) People in India were particularly offended, given their cultural reverence for musical instruments. In an attempt to justify his actions, the artist posted some photos from the performance, captioned, "The media is controlled and I am ..read more

Dine Alone Records has announced that its Toronto store at 864 Eastern Avenue will be open this Saturday, April 20, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for a special Record Store Day event. The label will open its doors to customers to offer limited test pressings (from City and Colour, moneen, the Flatliners and more), official RSD releases and Dine Alone exclusives, with two drops: the first at doors and the second at 2 p.m. Label exclusives include METZ's Up on Gravity Hill test pressing variant with alternate artwork by the band's Hayden Menzies, limited to 30 pressings (with all profits being donate ..read more

If you've ever seen Arkells live in concert, you'll surely know the Ontario outfit do not shy away from putting their spin on some of popular music's most beloved hits. Now, they've collected a few of their favs for a new covers album. The band will share Disco Loadout on May 17 via Universal Music Canada, and as they explain, the album's title refers to "a very humbling act" in The Biz™ that they and countless other performing artists have experienced. "Sometimes when you're on tour, you might pull up to a venue to find there is a later show happening the same night," Arkells explain. "The ..read more

Dickey Betts, co-founding singer-songwriter/guitarist of the Allman Brothers Band, has died. He was 80. The musician, whose Southern rock style defined a movement (and inspired a character in Almost Famous), died this morning due to cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, his manager confirmed to Rolling Stone. "It is with profound sadness and heavy hearts that the Betts family announce the peaceful passing of Forrest Richard 'Dickey' Betts (December 12, 1943 – April 18, 2024) at the age of 80 years old," Betts' family said in a statement.  They continued, "The legendary perfo ..read more

Back to the Future star Michael J. Fox has been named one of Time Magazine's Most Influential People of 2024. Fellow Canadian and longtime friend Ryan Reynolds penned a heartfelt tribute to Fox for the piece, commending him for his compassion and advocacy, and sharing how lucky he is to call Fox a friend. Reynolds wrote:  I met Mike 17 years ago. I've watched him raise the bar for purpose and passion. It'd be kinda lazy to simply characterize him as the greatest champion of Parkinson's research on the planet. He's someone who helped my dad, along with millions of others, feel less alone ..read more

Following a first wave reveal last month, Uxbridge, ON's Springtide Music Festival has lifted the curtain on the full lineup for its 2024 edition. Newly-added artists set to perform at the three-day event include Alannah Kemp, Arlene Paculan, Barbra Lica, Beyond the Depth, Brian Wride, Brodie Bell, Conor Gains, David Owen, deepsix, Em&Em, EQUAL, Erin Blackstock, fxrrvst, Heavy Head, Jerome Tucker Band, Jude Veens, Julia Middleton, Julien Kelland, Kendall Lily, Larra Skye, Mip Power Trio, Moonfruits, Päter, Peter Clarke, Rebekah Hawker, Rory Taillon, Rudi Urbach, Stephen Stanley & Chr ..read more

If you listen carefully, you can hear the faint sound of David Crosby rising from the ashes — and Phoebe Bridgers calling him a little bitch.  As we all know, the first weekend of Coachella has happened, and what happens in the desert doesn't stay in the desert. Indo-Canadian singer/rapper AP Dhillon, one of the innovators leading the Punjabi wave sweeping the nation, performed at the festival and caused controversy by smashing an ESP LTD Kirk Hammett V guitar at the end of his set. He has since dropped out of the second weekend due to "scheduling conflicts." Although Bridgers never hea ..read more

Hot Chip co-founder Joe Goddard has announced his third solo album, previewed today by lead single "Moments Die" — a collaboration with Brooklyn-based indie pop wizard Barrie. The follow-up to 2017's Electric Lines, Harmonics is due July 12 through Domino. It includes collaborations with members of Ibibio Sound Machine, Jungle and Wild Beasts, as well as Alabaster DePlume, Hot Chip bandmates Alexis Taylor and Al Doyle, and more. "With all the different people on this record, I've been working on how to respect the contribution they make and not trying to be the one who has to lead everything ..read more

Pakistani singer-songwriter/composer Arooj Aftab has announced a new album, shared alongside its lead single and a slate of North American tour dates. Night Reign arrives May 31 via Verve Records. It's the highly anticipated follow-up to Aftab's Grammy-winning 2021 album, Vulture Prince — which Exclaim! named one of the best albums of that year. The record features guest appearances from frequent collaborator Vijay Iyer, Moor Mother, Cautious Clay, Kaki King and more. Today, the artist shares "Raat Ki Rani," the album's entrancing lead single. "'Raat Ki Rani' is about a person whose allure ..read more