The White Stripes + OutKast getting inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on the same night reminded me of my favourite Eye Weekly cover concept, commissioned for our Jan. 22, 2004 Music Critics Poll issue. (Illustration: Ben Shannon)

I think Feist + Olivia Rodrigo are going to be friends after duetting on “We Are Going to Be Friends” for the White Stripes’ Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction

Today in the @thestar.com, I wrote about the 50th anniversary of the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, and the story behind “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”—and how what you hear on the Gordon Lightfoot classic is actually the 1st time his band ever played the song www.thestar.com/entertainmen...

The Dears release their glamtastic 9th album today, so for this edition of the stübermania newsletter, I revisit a post-9/11, pre-Iraq-war conversation with Murray Lightburn about what would become his life's work—finding the light in the darkest of times. stubermania.substack.com/p/a-conversa...

The Besnard Lakes gently melting faces at Mills Hardware with “And You Lied to Me,” aka the “Comfortably Numb” of late-2000s Montreal space-rock jams #hamont

The Dears release their glamtastic 9th album today, so for this edition of the stübermania newsletter, I revisit a post-9/11, pre-Iraq-war conversation with Murray Lightburn about what would become his life's work—finding the light in the darkest of times. stubermania.substack.com/p/a-conversa...

[Curb Your Enthusiasm theme]

The Boojums answering the question: what if Born in the USA came out on SST?

Just digging through old emails on a regular Wednesday morning

Happy Geese Covered New Radicals Day to those who celebrate. ICYMI, here's my 1998 interview with New Radicals' Gregg Alexander from his brief moment in the spotlight before he disappeared: stubermania.substack.com/p/a-conversa...

There’s a special place in hell for jogging pants manufacturers who put labels on both sides of the waistband

Soul-crushing World Series loss followed by first day of darkness at 5pm is a vibe

Rock Writer Stuart Berman's substack. Well worth reading stubermania.substack.com

Comedy = Game 7 + time

He’s Mr November, he did fuck us over

For this game, the Rogers Centre stopped serving beer after the 7th inning and started serving edibles

[Stefon voice]: This game has it all! Home runs! Diving catches! Bench-clearing brawls!

Too many Aeros and Smarties in my kids' Halloween haul, not enough Mars and Twix for me to surreptiously steal. Let's do better next year, people!

This week in the stübermania newsletter: a 2003 chat with Nick Thorburn of The Unicorns in that brief moment when they were hottest thing coming out of Montreal, before they inevitably imploded stubermania.substack.com/p/a-conversa...

The new GBV album has a fun Easter egg for the old heads: "The Lighthouse Resurrection" is actually a fuzz-rock makeover of the 'King Shit and the Golden Boys' castaway "At Odds With Dr. Genesis" (aka the intro to "Ester's Day") www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qvpr...

This week in the stübermania newsletter: a 2003 chat with Nick Thorburn of The Unicorns in that brief moment when they were hottest thing coming out of Montreal, before they inevitably imploded stubermania.substack.com/p/a-conversa...

One of the best garage punk 'n' roll records of 2025 is actually 28 years old. Today at @bandcamp.com Daily, I dig into the long-lost, recently excavated debut from The Spells, the missing link between the Blues Explosion and Yeah Yeah Yeahs eras of NYC scuzz rock: daily.bandcamp.com/album-of-the...

We have officially run out of band names.

Hey hey hey, it's the first new album in 5 years from #hamont hellraisers TV Freaks, out just in time for Devil's Night: teeveefreakzz.bandcamp.com/album/blue-g...

One of the best garage punk 'n' roll records of 2025 is actually 28 years old. Today at @bandcamp.com Daily, I dig into the long-lost, recently excavated debut from The Spells, the missing link between the Blues Explosion and Yeah Yeah Yeahs eras of NYC scuzz rock: daily.bandcamp.com/album-of-the...

Toronto hasn't done this well in Los Angeles since Neil's hearse was randomly spotted by Stephen Stills and Buffalo Springfield was born.

Today at Pitchfork, I wrote about the rave rebirth of Jane Inc.: pitchfork.com/reviews/albu...

Is Don Mattingly available to pinch hit?

This game has reached the point where Bluesky baseball posts are starting to get mixed in with UK morning-news headlines

Me in the 1st inning / Me in the 14th inning

hello friends, loved ones, and haters, I wrote a long piece about the last 25 or so years of "indie," inspired by @chrisdeville.bsky.social's fine new book open.substack.com/pub/ericdhar...

Last night at Dream Serenade at Massey Hall, Feist played a couple of new tunes…

This week in the stübermania newsletter: The Jays are back in the World Series, so let's keep the 1992 vibe alive through this chat with k.d. lang about her game-changing country/pop crossover, Ingénue. Plus: 7 eye-popping highlights from last night's David Byrne show! substack.com/home/post/p-...

The Blues Jays’ playoff run is really just an elaborate conspiracy to give Trooper’s “Raise a Little Hell” a SOCAN royalty bump.

This week in the stübermania newsletter: The Jays are back in the World Series, so let's keep the 1992 vibe alive through this chat with k.d. lang about her game-changing country/pop crossover, Ingénue. Plus: 7 eye-popping highlights from last night's David Byrne show! substack.com/home/post/p-...

David Byrne: the missing link between Pere Ubu and Paramore

Among the many, many visual delights of the David Byrne show is a 360-degree view of his apartment that makes it feel like you’re looking up his place on a real-estate site and doing a virtual tour.

Lots of big concert announcements for Hamilton: Lauryn Hill! John Mulaney! Rod Stewart! Smash Mouth on a choo-choo train! hamontlive.substack.com/p/hamilton-c... #hamont

“Amazing.”

Me, checking my email one last time on my death bed in 2067: "You have received a new comment on your review of 'Animal Collective: Centipede Hz.'"

Hey baby, it’s the bottom of 8/ I feel I’ve got to move (runners into scoring position)

Kirk and Suarez together look like the Daft Punk/Death From Above 1979 collab that never happened in 2005.

1967: Only a thousand people bought the first Velvet Underground album but each one started a band. 2025: A million people watching this Jays/Mariners game are Shazaming “I’m Sticking With You” after hearing it in that Adidas commercial and adding it to their Twee Jock Jams playlist.

It's been sweet to see so many different artists—from Sebastian Bach to Warren Ellis to Noel Fielding—paying tribute to Ace Frehley. KISS were a ridiculous band, but they were the perfect first musical obsession for so many kids—and, as this playist attests, a power-pop band in demon's clothing.

In the stübermania newsletter: Toronto underground icon Alex Lukashevsky is about to drop a new album. For the uninitiated, let this interview from 2004 help explain why U.S. Girls, Kevin Drew, and Owen Pallett all give him the "we're not worthy" treatment: stubermania.substack.com/p/a-conversa...

In the stübermania newsletter: Toronto underground icon Alex Lukashevsky is about to drop a new album. For the uninitiated, let this interview from 2004 help explain why U.S. Girls, Kevin Drew, and Owen Pallett all give him the "we're not worthy" treatment: stubermania.substack.com/p/a-conversa...

RIP Ace Frehley, my first guitar hero, professional spaceman, master of smoking Les Pauls and unsubtle metaphors. youtu.be/AQ9nQoNuAZs?...

Today on Commotion, Jay Smooth and David Dennis Jr. pay their respects to D’Angelo: youtu.be/R5WDVyepaLw?...