David Fagin, former frontman of power-pop band The Rosenbergs, releases his memoir “Confessions of a Musical Masochist: My Life As An Almost Rockstar” on September 22 via Scout Media in association with Noshpit Entertainment. The book, which carries a foreword by journalist Rob Tannenbaum, recounts Fagin’s decades-long pursuit of a music career, including run-ins with Universal Music, a partnership with Napster and encounters with figures such as Robert Fripp, Jimmy Iovine and Gene Simmons.

According to the announcement, a central episode involves a 1999 dispute over a restrictive contract tied to a Rosenbergs appearance on Farmclub.com, the Universal Music venture backed by Iovine and Doug Morris. Fagin’s critical email about the contract reportedly spread widely among musicians and drew coverage from outlets including CNN, CNBC and Wired, with Universal said to have moved from threatening legal action to discussing a possible signing. The band later struck a deal with Fripp’s Discipline Global Mobile that let them retain ownership of their masters, and subsequently partnered with Napster, which sponsored a tour and featured the band on its homepage during a special edition release of their album “Mission: You.”

The memoir is narrated by Fagin himself in its audiobook edition, a preview of which has been made available online.

Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Jon Bleicher, prospectpr.com.

Richmond Hill, Ontario singer-songwriter Katie Dauson has released “Fresh Sugar,” a country rock love song, via Frog & Bog Records. The track was recorded at Cleveland Sound Lab in Vaughan, Ontario with producer and engineer James Nickle, with Dauson writing, composing and singing the song as well as playing rhythm guitar and designing the artwork.

According to the announcement, the song originated after Dauson heard a Raspberries record on vinyl and began writing immediately in her family’s living room. Her sound draws on rock and roll, rockabilly, surf rock, country, folk and bluegrass, with influences including The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Fats Domino, ELO and Gordon Lightfoot. Before pursuing music, Dauson studied physics and astronomy at York University and worked at the school’s observatory.

Dauson performs with a full band, including horn players on saxophone and flute, and is scheduled to play the El Mocambo Tavern in Toronto on October 23.

Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Eric Alper, thatericalper.com.

Mager BooBoo, the solo project of Ottawa-born, Thailand-based musician Robert Bachtell Eastland, has released “Monkey See Donkey Do,” the second single from his upcoming debut album “Oops!” The track follows lead single “Dumb” and uses animal imagery to explore conformity and social conditioning, wrapped in a chant-driven, call-and-response arrangement.

Eastland, 64, describes the project’s sound as “Heavy Irony,” combining layered vocal harmonies, guitars and programmed drums with lyrics aimed at modern life. He performs all instruments and vocals himself, crediting fictional band members for the recordings. According to the announcement, “Dumb” has drawn comparisons to the Pixies, Arctic Monkeys, Nirvana and the Strokes from outlets in Brazil, Costa Rica, Peru, Italy and the United States since its July 22 release, and was praised by broadcaster Alan Cross of Corus Radio’s A Journal of Musical Things.

Eastland began writing songs at 14 and worked for decades in musical theatre, radio and television, including writing for the CBC-affiliated children’s show “Cowboy Who?” and fronting the band 101 with his brother. He has 51 songs registered with SOCAN. After more than 20 years away from music while working as a teacher, he returned to songwriting and taught himself modern production techniques to build the Mager BooBoo project, which he now records in Thailand alongside his full-time work as a university English instructor.

Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Eric Alper, thatericalper.com.

Guelph, Ontario singer-songwriter Trina Chakrabarti has released “Take A Stance,” a stripped-down protest song that abandons the mythological framing of her 2024 debut EP “Underworld” in favor of direct lyrics. Chakrabarti says she wrote the track after growing frustrated watching colleagues in her work as a registered music therapist focus on professional language rather than the human toll of world events, and after observing public reaction to escalating conflict involving Iran.

The song’s outro lists regions including Palestine, Congo, Sudan, Hawaiʻi, Kashmir, Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti, Lebanon, Syria, Myanmar and Ukraine, which Chakrabarti says deserve greater global attention, closing each mention with the phrase “free them all.” She traces the song’s recurring line, “none of us are free till all of us are free,” to Black activists including Maya Angelou, Malcolm X and Opal Lee. According to the announcement, a portion of proceeds from the single will go to a friend’s family in Palestine.

“Take A Stance” was produced, mixed and mastered by Ruthie Santiago, with Chakrabarti credited for lyrics, melody, vocals and ukulele. It follows her debut EP “Underworld,” made with producer Wonder Truly. Chakrabarti says her next single, “Something Like Hope,” will introduce her next full-length project.

Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Eric Alper, thatericalper.com.

Carly Pearce is the latest guest on Anthony Mason’s long-form interview series Alchemy, discussing her upcoming album Honest Woman and how career success affected her sense of self-worth. In the conversation, Pearce says chart performance, award nominations and social media metrics had become her primary measure of self-worth, and that making the new record was part of a process of reconnecting with who she was before fame.

The album marks a return to the traditional country and bluegrass sound of Pearce’s early years, made with collaborators Dan Tyminski and Molly Tuttle. Pearce says it is the first album she has made without creative compromise, citing the track “Church Girl,” which addresses faith, sex and drug use, as an example of a more direct point of view in her songwriting.

The interview, recorded shortly after Dolly Parton’s death, also covers Parton’s influence on Pearce, who performed at Dollywood as a teenager, as well as memories of her late collaborator busbee and the role her mother played in helping her separate her identity from her career. The episode is available now on YouTube as part of the Alchemy series, which has previously featured artists including Paul Simon, Hozier and Brandon Flowers.

Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by The Press House.

SOFI TUKKER and Gibson have announced a design collaboration that will roll out eight one-of-one custom Flying V guitars over the course of the duo’s U.S. Animal Talk Tour, which opens September 10 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Sophie Hawley-Weld, who has played the Flying V model throughout her career with the group, worked with Gibson on the designs and plans to unveil the guitars individually at tour stops, performing live with each as it debuts.

After the tour, a selection of the guitars will be auctioned, with proceeds benefiting Gibson Gives, the instrument maker’s philanthropic arm, which supports music education and access initiatives. Further details on individual guitar designs and the auction are expected to be released throughout the tour, according to the announcement.

The collaboration coincides with a run of U.S. and Mexico dates for the two-time Grammy-nominated duo, including stops at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, The Anthem in Washington, D.C., and shows in Guadalajara and Mexico City through October 31.

Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Libby Coffey, primeprgroup.com.