The definitive guide to music performances, live shows, concerts, festivals, conferences and streaming events in your city. List your event in this directory for free. Updated Thursdays.

Q1 – JANUARY – MARCH

Q1=Jan-March | Q2=Apr-June | Q3=July-Sept | Q4=Oct-Dec

January Events

Otis Redding Foundation Tribute Song to MLK
Students at the Otis Redding Foundation music camp recorded a song, released today, January 12, in honour of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday next Monday. The song, Show Love, which they recorded virtually during the pandemic in 2020, includes audio clips of Dr. King delivering the Loving Your Enemy sermon at the Dexter Baptist Church in Montgomery, AL in 1957.

Ohio Players & Bootsy Collins performing at Cincinnati-Baltimore Halftime show
Ohio Players and Parliament-Funkadelic star Bootsy Collins will be performing at Halftime at the Cincinnati and Baltimore playoff game on Sunday, January 15. 

Wintersong Announces Music Festival Headliners – Ontario
Headliners for their 4^th annual Wintersong music festival may be familiar to you. Montreal indie-pop band Stars, two-time Juno Award-winniner Dan Mangan, and 80s new wave/synth-pop band Men Without Hats, are joined by the 2022 Polaris hortlisted OMBIIGIZI, a collaboration between Zoon’s Daniel Monkman and Status/Non Status’ Adam Sturgeon, and local indie-folk band Man Made Forest. The festival draws thousands to the Stouffville area giving a much-needed boost to the local economy.

Women in Music Educational Summit
The Women in Music programming, January 25-27, includes topics on everything from publishing to digital and social media strategy this year as part of its mission to empower and advance women in the music industry. Panels include leading industry professionals like Samantha Kirby, Cheryl Paglierani, Mari Davies, Jenna Gaudio, Dann Liebermann, Leslie Powell, and Heidy Vaquerano.

February Events

Debauchery at the Dakota – Opera X Burlesque – Toronto
Toronto’s Opera Revue company presents Debauchery at the Dakota, their boundary-pushing collaboration with local burlesque choreographer, A’Slayna Von Hunt (Bootleggers Burlesque, High Society Cabaret, A’Slayna Von Hunt: The Deadly Dame comic), in an opera and mixed-gender pre-Valentine’s burlesque performance in a popular local venue, The Dakota Tavern, 249 Ossington Ave., on February 11 at 7 p.m.

Calder Plays Theremin Album Launch and Live Show – New York
Calder Plays Theremin is a music score by Dorit Chrysler, originally a sound piece commissioned by The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and uses pieces from the exhibition Alexander Calder: Modern from the Start. New York’s e-flux will host the U.S. launch of Chrysler’s new album Calder Plays Theremin (Fridman Gallery/NY Theremin Society 2023), featuring a live performance by Chrysler with visuals by the collective Optipus (Bradley Eros, Lary 7, Rachael Guma, Richard Sylvarnes) followed by a Q and A with Chrysler moderated by MoMA’s Cara Manes. February 23, 7 p.m. at 172 Classon Avenue, Brooklyn.

March Events

The AC/DC Show – Ontario
The Beaches International Jazz Festival takes you for a ride on the rock ‘n’ roll train through AC/DC’s history of hits with the AC/DC Show on March 4, 8 p.m., The Regent Theatre, 224 Main St., Picton, Ontario.

Icelandic Musician Presents Visual Artwork in Washington Museum
Vocalist Jónsi (Jón Þór Birgisson) of the Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós, presents an experiential exhibition of his work in his first ever immersive art installation in the U.S. – at the National Nordic Museum in Seattle, Washington from March 17 to July 30. Related events include a Jónsi-curated silent disco, a Viking Era lecture delivered by a local professor and the screening of a recent film that contains the artist’s music. More to come in Music

Louis Tomlinson’s Musical Journey Debuts on Screen
Ditching the typical glossy sheen of celebrity documentaries, this film gives audiences a raw, intimate view into One Direction singer-songwriter Louis Tomlinson‘s life and career. Through never-before-seen home movie footage and behind the scenes access to his sell-out 2022 world tour, All Of Those Voices offers a unique view on the highs of superstardom and the lows of personal tragedy. The film explores his journey from One Direction member to solo artist and captures the challenges and triumphs along the way. From his debut album Walls to last year’s Faith In The Future, the film shows Tomlinson grappling with the pressures of fame. All Of Those Voices screens in cinemas worldwide on March 22. Official first look: WATCH HERE.

Sunset Sessions Special Edition Overlooking Biscayne Bay — Miami
The Vista Rooftop at Novotel Miami Brickell hosts the Miami Music Week edition of its weekly pool party — Sunset Sessions — on March 25 featuring a curated line-up by party host and local house music DJ Bryan Peroni, special guests Crazibiza and Plastik Funk, performances by Alex Billard, Ariel Armadi, Frank Master, Jetzen, Napp, Piero Scratch, Sansixto, Silvio Rodrigues, Tavo spinning an eclectic playlist of pulsing EDM sounds and guest singer Monika Kiss (1300 S Miami Ave.).

Gwen Stefani’s GXVE Beauty Donates 1K Lipsticks to Find Your Fabulosity

Inspired by their mission, Gwen Stefani and GXVE Beauty made a donation of 1,000 GXVE Beauty lipsticks to Find Your Fabulosity (FYF), a nonprofit that gave almost 100,000 lipsticks to victims of domestic violence. FYF’s mission is to bring beauty, confidence and a renewed sense of identity to victims of domestic violence through the magic of lipstick. FYF founder Sheryl Kurland says it’s about helping women to rediscover their feminine power and beauty as they take the necessary courageous steps to re-build their lives.

Phabo Gears Up for Full-length Album Dropping Later This Year
In the lead up to a full album set for release in 2023, Los Angeles-based R&B singer-songwriter Phabo released a studio version of Scorpio Moon. The song was written and co-produced by Phabo with Louie Lastic (GoldLink, Kehlani, Masego) and debuted last year on COLORS. The artist says, Scorpio Moon is a song that playfully mirrors the way in which people use Zodiac signs to avoid accountability for the chaos they’ve caused. Phabo wanted the mood in the video to feel like he’d just been given the floor in couples therapy, as if “it was my partner’s first time hearing me divulge these emotions. Those with Scorpio moons are said to have a propensity to seek revenge as well as the innate ability to sense when they’ve been wronged. This song is my brave attempt to make things right.” Watch the video below:

Q2 – APRIL – JUNE

April Events

Just Announced: girlfriends Tour With Avril Lavigne – Europe
girlfriends (Travis Mills & Nick Gross) announced today (March 24) that they will be supporting Avril Lavigne on her upcoming European Tour. Lavigne’s tour begins April 12 in Paris, with dates in Munich, Prague, Vienna and at least 14 other cities ending in London on May 10. The duo will visit 10 cities across Europe before heading back to the U.S. for a short East Coast run of headline shows starting in mid-May — to include Chicago, Washington, D.C. and Brooklyn, NYC. Their new single, Over My Dead Body, released on Big Noise, was produced by Andrew Goldstein (Machine Gun Kelly, Papa Roach, blackbear) and is an emotionally driven piece with melodic vocals and trashing post-punk guitars well-suited to Lavigne’s crowd. A sample of the song is not even on the playlist platforms found on their own website yet but you can hear it now: HERE.

Limited-edition Paul McCartney and Wings’ Album to be Released
A 50th Anniversary pressing of Paul McCartney and Wings’ Red Rose Speedway will be released as a limited edition, half-speed mastered vinyl LP on April 22 for Record Store Day 2023, just days before the actual anniversary of the album’s original April 30, 1973 release date. The first Paul McCartney and Wings album to top the US album chart, it kicked off a run of No. 1 albums including Band On The Run, Venus And Mars, At The Speed Of Sound, and Wings Over America. Its only single, My Love, was Wings’ first No. 1 single in the U.S. and a staple in their shows.

May Events

Take Your Shot to Win Big with NXNE and Slaight Music — Oh Canada
NXNE partners with Slaight Music’s “It’s Your Shot” songwriting and artist development competition. They took the time to say they’re encouraging BIPOC and LGBTQ2S+ artists to take part in the competition, and that it’s open to all musical genres of music, until May 31. Canadian artists can submit a song and/or video at itsyourshot.ca for a chance to win a grand prize valued at $100,000 in total prizes. They offer production, recording, mentorship, web development, bios, photo sessions and opportunities to perform at NXNE next year.

June Events

Next Wave of Artists at NXNE Music Festival — Toronto
Added to the list are: Jordan Occasionally (Memphis, TN), Paris Pick (Whitehorse, YK), We Are Domi (Prague, CZ), My Son The Doctor (Brooklyn, NY), Present Company (Minneapolis, MN) and Zenon (Calgary, AB) — set to perform from June 13-17.

Above photo: Side Door Co-Founders Laura Simpson and Dan Mangan (by Lindsay Duncan @linsdayinmotion)

Artists Get Paid on the Road with Side Door x NXNE — Canada
NXNE announced they’re partnering with East Coast presenters Side Door for the On the Road with Side Door x NXNE. Musicians on this roster are getting paid. Artists touring in Canada in June will get CDN $200 and half of the money from ticket sales at each of their public Side Door shows. This helps artists to play NXNE in June 2023, tour to and from NXNE or elsewhere in Canada, and to get paid for performing. Find out how to qualify. The concept of getting paid is in line with the theme of How to Tour Without Going Broke, a panel that they presented at the SXSW (Vancouver Sun) music, education and technology festival in Austin, Texas two weeks ago.

August Events

‘Beetlejuice’ at Sea Aboard Norwegian Cruise Line’s Newest Ship
The Tony Award-nominated Broadway play Beetlejuice The Musical, an adaptation of Tim Burton’s 1988 film, debuts at sea in August. The 90-min. production tells the story of the Deetz family as they attempt to remodel a haunted house. Paranormal activities in the musical take place in the three-story Viva Theatre & Club with immersive special effects and cutting-edge lighting and audio on Norwegian Viva, the newest addition to its fleet.

Deep Tropics Music Festival Returns to Music City – Nashville
Deep Tropics dance music festival holds its fifth iteration of music and interactive art in a city known for country music. The main event is in Nashville’s Bicentennial Park (Aug. 18-19) with a view of the cityscape in the background. Spread across three immersive stages – the ancient temple inspired Meru stage, the bass fuelled Lotus stage and the Congo Soundsystem. There’s a genre-bending lineup featuring SG Lewis (DJ Set), Gorgon City, What So Not, KHIVA, Inzo, Eli & Fur, Ravenscoon, Sonny Fodera, and breakthrough and rising talent like Major League DJz, Kream, Saka, Veil, and Charles Meyer.

September Events

NEW

Music in Motion Canada (MiMc) is offering the opportunity for undiscovered INDIE talent to gain connections and exposure in the music industry through a competition they say will help artists take the next step in their music career. The MiMc Awards 2023 offers musicians a chance to showcase their talent to producers and other professionals, to get industry expert adjudicated feedback, support for their brand, and a chance to win prizes worth over $25,000. Pre-registration is now open.

NEW

The 2023 Kensington Market Jazz Festival – Toronto
The 8th rendition of the Kensington Market Jazz Festival (KMJF) takes place over three days starting September 29 with The Shuffle Demons and Christ Butcher (the Heavyweights Brass Band) doing a musical march through the market to kick off the festival at around 7:15 p.m. Ticketed shows take place at two venues in the market: at Pamenar, featuring Colleen Allen’s Two of a Mind (7:30 p.m.), Joanna Majoko (9:30) and Johnny Bobby Cake (10:30) and at Tapestry featuring Downes/Botos/Quinlan (7:30), Elizabeth Shepherd (9:00) and Billy Newton-Davis (10:30) closing out the first night. See more artists and a schedule at KensingtonJazz.com.

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