Nashville rock trio Absolute Silence will headline a benefit concert on October 23 at Ocean Way Nashville, with proceeds supporting Isaiah 117 House, a nonprofit serving children entering foster care. The event, called Begin Again: An Evening at Ocean Way, was developed with producer Ryan Poole and will gather about 100 guests for a cocktail hour, studio tours, a silent auction and a presentation from Isaiah 117 House founder Ronda Paulson ahead of the band’s performance.

The live set, featuring band members Steven Okoniewski, Robert Darmstadt and Harrison Nemarich alongside strings and horns, will be recorded for a future live album and documented for an accompanying concert film and documentary, both to be produced by Poole. The band says it previously donated instruments to the organization’s Davidson County location and is using the benefit to build on that relationship.

According to the announcement, Absolute Silence has played more than 300 shows since January 2025 across the U.S., Europe, the U.K. and South Africa, and is currently finishing its debut album at Dark Horse Recording in Franklin, Tennessee, with producer Leah Haywood.

Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Christy Walker-Watkins, 3on.e2ma.net.

Bowmanville, Ontario country and Americana artist Hunter James has released his new single “Chasing A Sound,” a track blending outlaw country and Americana influences. According to the announcement, the single has earned a spot on Apple Music’s “Canada’s Country” playlist cover.

James says the song, co-written with Ariana Eagleson, reflects a three-year period of traveling between Nashville, Georgia and Kentucky in search of his sound before scrapping two previously recorded EPs and starting over. He ultimately recorded the track at home in Ontario with producer Markus Maar, cutting it live off the floor with his own touring band rather than studio musicians. The band includes Jake Lauzon, Rooster on drums, Jim Gorry on bass, Parker Farris on electric and lead guitar, Pat Walsh on harmonica and Rob Phillips on piano.

James has recently performed select dates on Gord Bamford’s “As Long As There’s A Bar” tour and opened for the Reklaws at the Kee to Bala, along with appearances at North of Nowhere, Departure Fest and Winding Roads Live.

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

Toronto folk-rock singer-songwriter Raina Krangle has released a new EP, ‘HEADBANGERS: A Musical Recovery After Concussion,’ chronicling her return to music following a 2019 concussion that made listening to and performing music physically difficult. The project includes a companion artistic journal with QR-linked recordings drawn from voice notes and videos she made during her recovery.

The EP was recorded with longtime musical partner Brian Siegel. Its lead track, “My Beautiful Dear,” is based on her parents’ relationship and incorporates a reference to Bruce Cockburn’s “All the Diamonds,” which Krangle says she cleared with Cockburn’s permission after connecting with him through his manager, Bernie Finkelstein, and producer Colin Linden. The remaining tracks address themes including social and technological change and calls for unity.

Krangle, who began performing at Toronto open mics including the Free Times Cafe and the El Mocambo as a teenager, released her debut album ‘Solstice’ in 2012 and has performed at festivals including Winterfolk, the Newmarket Jazz Festival and Hamilton’s Supercrawl. She will celebrate the EP’s release with a show on November 14 at The George Event Space in Newmarket, Ontario, backed by her band Raina & The Wranglers.

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

Canadian singer-songwriter Henry Lees has released “That Last Goodbye,” a single co-written with Nova Scotia songwriter Joanna Butler and produced by Allister Bradley. The song was written in the aftermath of Lees losing three siblings within less than a year, between late 2022 and mid-2023, following earlier losses of another sister and both parents.

Lees and Butler developed the track during a SongStudio songwriting workshop, where Bradley, then co-managing the program, first heard the piano-based demo and later agreed to produce the final version. The 2025 International Songwriting Competition named “That Last Goodbye” a semi-finalist in the Folk/Singer-Songwriter category, which the announcement describes as Lees’ twelfth honor from international music competitions since 2021.

The single follows Lees’ previous releases “Into Your Orbit” and “Smoke,” which according to the announcement have drawn more than 10,000 streams combined along with placements on Spotify’s Daylist and Mixes, plus college and community radio airplay in North America, the UK, Europe and South America. Both prior songs also received recognition from the International Songwriting Competition and Unsigned Only Music Awards, the announcement says.

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

A tour bus carrying MUNA caught fire hours after the band’s Sunday night performance at Stanford’s Frost Amphitheater, a stop on their Gets So Hot Tour. The band confirmed all members and crew were unharmed.

No further details on the cause of the fire or the extent of damage have been disclosed.

Read the full story at Billboard.

Sasha Alex Sloan, the songwriter behind co-writes for Camila Cabello, Charli XCX and Olivia Rodrigo, says she has adopted a lighter approach to her craft after years of treating songwriting as a high-pressure pursuit. The music school dropout has built a track record working with some of pop’s most prominent names over the past several years.

In a new interview, Sloan reflects on her evolving perspective, describing a shift toward viewing the creative process as something meant to be enjoyable rather than anxiety-inducing. She indicates the change in outlook comes as she continues to expand her work in the industry.

Read the full story at Music Business Worldwide.