Music | The Walrus

Illustration of a child playing violin on stage, The bottom of the violin has come off

Arts & Culture / January/February 2023

Why Do Kids Hate Music Lessons?

January 3, 2023January 3, 2023 - by J.R. Patterson

As a former violin student, I decided to investigate why so many promising players quit early

Arts & Culture

The Surprising History of Christmas Carols

December 20, 2022December 22, 2022 - by Nora Loreto

The history of Christmas carols demonstrates that, in all eras as with today, popular celebrations often resisted authority-imposed religious celebrations

An illustration of a girl crowd surfing.

Uncategorized

Groupies Deserve More Credit

October 19, 2022October 19, 2022 - by Lisa Levy

Superfans contribute just as much to culture as the male musicians they love. Why haven’t they had the shine they deserve?

Photo of a Black man with dreadlocks breakdancing, blurred in motion, with a sunset in the background.

Arts & Culture / July/August 2022

Breaking Through: One Photographer’s Mission to Capture Hip Hop’s Underground Roots

August 12, 2022August 12, 2022 - by Connor Garel

Breakdancing is now an Olympic sport. But Frankie Perez wants to show the world that breaking still thrives in the streets

Arts & Culture

What I Learned as a Teenage Hip Hop Critic for Pitchfork

August 10, 2022August 11, 2022 - by Rollie Pemberton

At seventeen, I spread the gospel of underground rap to a wider audience. But BIPOC music journalists are no longer afforded opportunities like mine

A man bikes past the brick facade of Toronto's Massey Hall building

Fiction / July/August 2022

Saving Robert Zimmerman

August 5, 2022August 15, 2022 - by Jay Teitel

They saved Bob Dylan. I know, because I was there

Arts & Culture / July/August 2022

How Canada’s Bob Dylan Ended up a Taxi Driver

August 2, 2022August 2, 2022 - by Marcello Di Cintio

Poet and songwriter Bill Hawkins rubbed elbows with Joni Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix, and other stars. Why didn’t he become one himself?

Orville Peck rides a pink and aqua-coloured horse with leopard spots

Arts & Culture

Orville Peck Rides Again: How the Singer Nods to Queer Country History

April 22, 2022May 2, 2022 - by Simon Lewsen

Some may reckon that Peck is subverting the genre. Instead, he’s highlighting themes that have always been part of it

A photo illustration of Steven Heighton in front of a purple and green background

Arts & Culture

Poet Steven Heighton on Writing, Making Music, and Literally Losing His Voice

January 21, 2022July 21, 2022 - by Rob Taylor

The author of nineteen books explains why success won’t make you happy

Photograph of the band u2 standing on a flashy street in Las Vegas

January/February 2022

Shooting Stars: A Love Letter to the Backstage Photo

January 17, 2022March 9, 2023 - by Lou D

Intimate, fascinating snapshots of Madonna, Jay-Z, and other VIPs from before Instagram changed celebrity photography forever

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