30 March 2026 - Joni Mitchell - Both Sides Now

I was looking through my drafts after hearing last night's tribute to her on the JUNOS as she received the Lifetime Achievement Award... and it was given to her by the literal Prime Minister, Mark Carney.  I've never been a huge Joni Mitchell fan - but she was a fantastic songwriter and performer. 

Sarah McLachlan and Alison Russell did a brilliant job performing this song in tribute... and then Joni walked out on stage and tried to perform as well... but her mic wasn't working for some reason.  I feel like someone else up there could have given her a working microphone... but anyway.  Because she got cut off from singing more, I wanted to make sure *I* paid tribute to her here.

This performance is from 1970 and the Isle of Wight festival.

Now, what is maybe not so well-remembered is that she also won a lot of Grammy Awards... and her last win came in 2024, with her live album from the Newport Festival.  She performed this song live in the ceremony that year, and it was very different sounding.... not just her voice, which was huskier, sure, but also a woman who had lived a life and a GREAT one at that. 

It is a chillingly good performance. 

30 March 2026 - Lou-Adriane Cassidy - Valse frustrée

A year ago, I had no idea who Lou-Adriane Cassidy was. 

Well, I will admit that I have a draft from 2024 of one of her songs for this blog.  I literally didn't realize that until I was writing this post. 

Three months ago, I declared her FIRST 2025 album, Journal d'un Loup-Garou, my favorite album of 2025.  I would reconsider a number of my 2025 list choices.  THAT is not one of them.  CLEAR best album of 2025.  If that album had not won the Francophone album of the year at the JUNOS this weekend (which, of course it did), I would have been shocked!

One of the choices I would reconsider is on my honourable mentions list - and it is Triste Animal, Lou-Adriane Cassidy's SECOND 2025 album.  Whereas the former tells a huge, sweeping story, the latter is more intimate - a quieter, different-sounding album.  Both albums deserved top 10 spots, and I really hope Triste Animal is a Polaris consideration this year. 

So, what better way to show you a frustrated waltz than a huge crowd?

I think it's telling that there aren't really videos for the songs on Triste Animal.  There's just her, her huge voice, and the strong emotion from the songs she wrote with Alexandre Martel.

YES, that is Thierry Larose on guitar.  Let's just dispense with that right now. 

But if you REALLY want to hear the studio version, here ya go.  It's still pretty great!

Lou-Adriane Cassidy and Thierry Larose will return.

29 March 2026 - The OBGM's - Buffalo

I know we talk about the Polaris Music Prize an awful lot here. 

However, the shortlist for that prize has a long history of excellent music. 

The OBGM's (Oooh Baby Gimme More) 3rd album, Sorry It's Over, was shortlisted for the Polaris Prize last year, and is nominated for a JUNO award this weekend.  The album is an angry and noisy sonic masterpiece, and you should check it out.

The band got a big break from an audition for a Budweiser ad, when the black Canadian-fronted band went from being booked for "urban" gigs to punk festivals.  

I mentioned that they were black Canadian-fronted.  In the video above, you saw Densil McFarlane.

In this live video, you can see that they're a Canadian punk band and no other adjective matters.

28 March 2026 - cootie catcher - ontario

cootie catcher are a band from Sheboygan, Wisconsin.

I'm kidding.  They're from Toronto.

For those unfamiliar with Canada, three guesses as to what province Toronto is in.  For those familiar with Canada, THEY LITERALLY WROTE A SONG ABOUT THEIR HOME PROVINCE.

I mean, they didn't write a POSITIVE song about their home province, but they DID write it. 

From their 2023 EP 5678, this is a great representation of the lo-fi pop music cootie catcher has been making for years. 

Even small bands perform live. 

In people's living rooms.

Specifically, the drummer's living room.  

Which is, presumably, in Ontario. 

27 March 2026 - Nelly Furtado - Maneater

Did you realize that we've never posted Nelly Furtado during March?

We didn't.  

Which is a shame, because on Sunday, Nelly Furtado - who announced her retirement from live performances that she better be breaking tonight - is inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.  And, really, we should have given her more due before today. 

So, we chose this song, co-written by Furtado, Jim Beanz, and producers Timbaland (who appears on a different Nelly Furtado song that was an even bigger hit than this one, and who also provides background vocals to this) and Danja (who ALSO contributes background vocals), that is Nelly's 2nd biggest hit in Canada (to date, I presume), making it to #2 in 2006.  

Of COURSE she went on Letterman and performed the hell out of the song. 

26 March 2026 - Triples - Happy April

 This is the last regular post I'm writing for this year's Maple Leaf March. I think.  I may write more stuff.  We'll see. 

Triples is the Toronto-based musical project of Eva Link - singer, songwriter, guitarist and actor.  It wasn't always that way - it started off as a joint venture between Eva and her sister, Madeline.  This song, from their 2019 album Big Time, is from the days it was a duo - and you can see they both appear and sing here.

26 March 2026 - PACKS - Honey

I lied. THIS is the last regular post I'm writing for this year's Maple Leaf March. I think.  I may write more stuff.  We'll see. 

PACKS is the Toronto-based musical project of Madeline Link - singer, songwriter, guitarist and onetime actor.  It wasn't always that way - she started off with a joint venture with her sister, Eva, called Triples - but Madeline left when PACKS became too much of a demand.

There's no acrimony between the sisters, by the way.  They're still very close. 

PACKS's 2024 album Melt The Honey gives the same Liz Phair/Juliana Hatfield vibes, and it is really good.  This is the title song from that set.

Unlike Triples, we have some live material we can share from PACKS.... like this show from 2023, prior to the album release.  You can see that Madeline is an excellent, if not a little shy, frontwoman... and that the rich sounds from Packs is not just one person, but a whole band.