Earth Day, a.k.a. April 22, is almost upon us, and we’re thinking of all the ways that music and climate intersect. 

In the past, we’ve asked whether the Canadian music industry can become environmentally sustainable (spoiler alert: maybe!), and looked at the environmental impact of music streaming. We’ve talked to Sarah Harmer about the daily and important work that is necessary to environmental activism, and we’ve looked at the myriad ways musicians are covering the climate crisis in their art: from Leanne Betasamosake Simpson’s celebration of water to the Weather Station’s unique exploration of climate grief in her last two albums. 

To celebrate Earth Day this year, we’re revisiting a vital climate-change documentary hosted by Grammy-nominated Canadian producer Jayda G. Titled Blue Carbon, named after the shorthand for carbon captured by the world’s ocean and coastal ecosystems, the Nicolas Brown-directed film joins music and climate to highlight the ocean’s potential in the fight against climate change.

Jayda G — who, while a world-renowned DJ, also has a master’s degree in environmental toxicology — travelled to the U.S.A., Senegal, Vietnam, France, Colombia and Brazil to visit communities both affected by climate change and working to protect the systems that work against it. She also wrote a song inspired by and using sounds from her travels, which closes the film. (Wu-Tang Clan’s Rza wrote the score.)

And luckily for folks in Canada, Blue Carbon was just added to Gem.

The moment Avril Lavigne dropped out of high school to become a superstar

Avril Lavigne was just a small-town teen with a big dream — but in 1999, one moment onstage changed everything for her.

From the archives: the Canadian concert that kicked off Greenpeace

The story of Greenpeace starts where so many great stories start: with a musical cue. In 1970, a benefit concert in Vancouver for what would become the global organization we know today featured performances from Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Chilliwack and Phil Ochs — and would be called “the counterculture event of the year.”

Watch concerts from Bahamas, Serena Ryder, Chantal Kreviazuk and more at the legendary Massey Hall

CBC Music Live at Massey Hall just dropped another batch of concert videos, and this time you can seat yourself at the hallowed Massey Hall for performances by Bahamas, Ocie Elliott, Chantal Kreviazuk, Serena Ryder, the Glorious Sons, the Sadies and Field Guide.

Bells Larsen, T. Thomason cancel U.S. shows citing fear and policies targeting gender identity

In heartbreaking news last week, Canadian musicians Bells Larsen and T. Thomason both announced that they would be cancelling U.S. shows due to safety concerns and visa policies that discriminate against trans artists.

"I think we really need to see support from the industry right now," Thomason said, "and we need to be shown by our community, or music community in Canada, this is not OK, and they're not gonna let trans artists be forgotten and just be sort of a brief headline and then everybody moves on and we deal with the consequences and ripple effects by ourselves. I really, really hope that we're not gonna let that happen."

The Beaches' late-night party anthem, and 4 more songs you need to hear this week

We took a few weeks off from our Songs You Need to Hear column, but we’re back with plenty of new music including tracks from the Beaches, Bambii, Sophie Noel and Sister Ray, plus a new duet from Allison Russell and Annie Lennox.

Frequencies tips its hat to obsessive record collectors and independent labels

Sometimes music doesn’t see the light of day for years and years, with old records and cassettes neglected in dusty bins. But thanks to passionately obsessive record collectors and independent labels, we get to hear those forgotten gems. This week’s episode of Frequencies shows some love for those musical detectives, featuring music from Johnny Osbourne, Fairuz, Lhasa de Sela, Salome Bey, Violeta Parra, Willie Dunn and more.

Celebrity spotting: Mae Martin and Finn Wolfhard hit the Top 20 this week

Two rising Canadian actors are separately showing their musical prowess on the CBC Music Top 20 this week. Entering the chart at No. 20 is Good Dream, a song by Mae Martin, the Toronto-born comedian, actor, screenwriter, podcaster and star of the Netflix show Feel Good. Entering this week at No. 19 is Choose the Latter from Finn Wolfhard, the Vancouver actor who most famously plays Mike on Stranger Things. He is no stranger to music, having been in a few successful indie-rock bands. 

Vote now for your favourites.

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