INDIGENOUS ARTISTS UNITE FOR FOREST FIRE BENEFIT CONCERT
This summer, forest fires have once again wreaked havoc across Canada, specifically impacting many First Nations communities with evacuation orders. In response, a group of 25 of the country’s leading Indigenous musicians are teaming up to raise funds for the Mikinakoos Children’s Fund, the registered Canadian charity that works with First Nations children in northern Ontario, and to push the issue of climate change front and centre.
The Mikinakoos Forest Fire Relief Show will take place Saturday, Aug. 29 in Toronto at The Concert Hall, starting at 4pm. Tickets are available from Eventbrite. Performers include Jeremy Dutcher, Aysanabee, Julian Taylor, Logan Staats, Mimi O’Bonsawin, Adrian Sutherland, and many more. Hear Sutherland talk about how the show came together in an interview with APTN:
CCMA AWARDS ANNOUNCES MORE PERFORMERS FOR 2026 GALA
The Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) has announced a second wave of performers for the 2026 CCMA Awards, taking place at Sasktel Centre in Saskatoon on September 19. Newly announced additions to the star-studded 2026 CCMA Awards lineup include multi award-winning 3x 2026 CCMA Award nominee Nate Haller, 6x Platinum-certified, 2026 Group or Duo of the Year nominees High Valley, 2x JUNO-Award winning multi-Platinum alt-folk band The Strumbellas, Gold-certified, 5x 2026 CCMA Award nominees Thelma & James, and multiple ACM Award-winning, 5x 2026 CCMA Award nominee and this year’s top nominated female artist Tenille Townes.
Country music’s biggest night in Canada will also feature previously announced performances from Dean Brody, James Barker Band, The Reklaws, Owen Riegling, and homegrown Saskatchewan stars including Weyburn’s Tenille Arts, Shaunavon’s Hunter Brothers, Hudson Bay’s Kalsey Kulyk, and Rocanville’s Jess Moskaluke, with more exciting announcements to come.
Country Music Week 2026 kicks off in Saskatoon on Wednesday, September 16, offering fans the unique opportunity to celebrate the magic of country music and the genre’s brightest homegrown stars, all culminating with the 2026 CCMA Awards on September 19. This year’s CCMA Award nominees include 197 artists and industry professionals, with 72 earning their first-ever nomination. For more details click HERE.
JOSH ROSS RELEASES NEW SINGLE “KICKED OUT OF BARS”
Speaking of the 2026 CCMA Awards, this year’s co-leader with seven nominations, Josh Ross, has released a new single, “Kicked Out Of Bars,” which follows “Single Again” and “Hate How You Look,” both of which topped charts at Canadian and U.S. Country radio. That feat has made Ross the first solo male Canadian country artist to earn consecutive U.S. Country Radio number ones in nearly 50 years.
While teasing the song on socials, Ross shared, “‘Kicked Out Of Bars’ felt like me from the minute we wrote it. It’s one of those songs almost everyone can relate to, whether you’ve been the one getting kicked out or you’ve got a buddy who has. I wanted to give fans something fun and upbeat to close out the summer. We’ve been playing it live and seeing everyone already singing along has been pretty incredible. I’m excited for fans to finally have it.”
Ross has just kicked off a lengthy world tour, with these Canadian dates:
Sept 5 – Tweed ON – Stoco Lake Lodge
Nov 12 – Pickering ON – The Arena at Pickering Casino Resort
Nov 13 – Rama ON – Casino Rama Resort
Nov 14 – Windsor ON – The Colosseum at Caesars Windsor
WHY ARE CHARLEY CROCKETT AND JACK WHITE FEUDING?
Normally, musician beefs are an entertaining distraction (see Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar), but in the case of Charley Crockett vs. Jack White, it’s a little sad and disappointing that two leaders in their respective musical fields appear to be currently at each other’s throats.
So how did this all start? Six weeks ago, Crockett made a very public pronouncement that he had fired the self-described “Satanic doo-wop” duo Twin Temple as his opening act due to their image, which is admittedly more camp than deliberately provocative. At the time, Crockett said, “I thought they were like Black Sabbath, but they ain’t. Not today, Satan.”
Enter Jack White, who immediately offered Twin Temple opening slots on his current tour, which has substantially raised their profile. That move prompted Crockett to take direct aim at White, claiming he took advantage of the situation to boost his own ticket sales, and saying, “I lost a lot of respect for him.”
White seems to be taking Crockett’s attack in stride, and the pair have continued to troll each other on social media with White offering altered rap lyrics and Crockett responding by calling White “Mr. Suzy Cream Puff.” The ultimate victor of this battle is clearly Twin Temple, whose new album Doomed Lovers is set to arrive on Oct. 9.
FRANK BEARD 1949 – 2026
Frank Beard, the drummer and co-founder of ZZ Top, has died at the age of 77. Beard had been in hospice care, although no official cause of death was released. He had taken a brief hiatus from the band’s touring schedule in March 2025, but returned later in the year. However, Beard’s health continued to worsen, forcing ZZ Top to cancel several shows in recent weeks. While paying tribute to Beard, singer-guitarist (and last remaining original member) Billy Gibbons said ZZ Top will continue with Beard’s blessing, and confirmed they will return to the stage on Aug. 22 and 23 at Austin City Limits Live in Austin, Texas with drummer Michael Monahan.
ZZ Top formed in 1969 out of two other Texas bands, Gibbons’ The Moving Sidewalks, and Beard and late bassist Dusty Hill’s American Blues. Upon the release their debut album in 1971, ZZ Top quickly rose among the ranks of the decade’s best bands on the strength of albums such as Tres Hombres and Deguello. By the 1980s, Beard admitted to struggling with substance abuse, which led Gibbons to rely on drum machines to create new material. The result was ZZ Top’s 1983 commercial breakthrough, Eliminator, featuring the massive hits, “Gimme All Your Lovin’,” “Sharp Dressed Man” and “Legs.”
That success motivated Beard to get sober, although further controversy came in 1987 when the band decided to remix the drum tracks on its entire catalogue for the sake of sounding more in line with the sound on Eliminator and subsequent albums. Longtime fans strongly objected to Beard’s original performances being altered, and the band finally relented in 2013, reissuing the original mixes on the Complete Studio Albums box set.
Although Beard will be remembered as the only member of the trio without recognizable facial hair despite his name, he also leaves behind his second wife and three children.
