“Running River” is produced by LeBarons’ bassist and Juno-award winner John Dinsmore.

This is the first release since the album, Days Are Mountains (2023), where the lead-off single, “Through To You,” was named in “best new Canadian music” by Exclaim; has received regular airplay on 94.9 The Rock, and will be included in the soundtrack to the indie feature, His Father’s Son.

Between Days Are Mountains and this current release, MacDonald released his second novel, Days And Days: A Story about Sunderland’s Leatherface and the Ties That Bind (ECW Press, 2024) to both critical and commercial success.

Remarks on Days Are Mountains:

Chris Tanner of 94.9 The Rock FM says, “Lead singer and storyteller Chris MacDonald paints a beautiful and haunting portrait here that scratches your brain with a dense brush, and a catchy chorus that’ll make you sing along in your sleep.”

Influential UK music blog, The Rocking Magpie says, “There’s a self-belief and ragged glory that underpins many of the songs here…”

“Expertly crafted,” – Aesthetic Magazine; “haunting and hypnotic,” – Canada’s Music; “evocative,” – Post To Wire; “epic, brooding, and emotional,” – The Rocking Magpie.

Name:

LeBarons

Genre:

Alt-country

Founded:

2013

# of Albums:

ALLISTON EP (2016); Summer Of Death LP (2018); Days Are Mountains LP (2023)

Latest Album:

Days Are Mountains (2023)

Latest Single:

Running River (2026)

Latest Video:

Favourite musician growing up:

Leatherface

Favourite musician now:

SG Goodman

Guilty pleasure song:

Total Eclipse Of The Heart – guilt free!

Live show ritual:

Go for a long walk on the day of.

Favourite local musician:

Skye Wallace

EP or LP?

LP

Early bird or night owl?

Burning that candle at both ends! (But take lots of naps)

Road or studio?

We love them both!

Any shows or albums coming up? 

We have a new single, Running River, and we think it’s something special. It came together really easily. It’s moody and understated, until it isn’t, and it builds in a really wonderful way.

Where can we follow you?

Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify

***

Rapid Fire Local Questions:

What is your favourite local restaurant?

Easy Restaurant

What is your favourite street in your city and why?

College St – especially the area West of Ossington towards Brock. Great shops, restaurants, cafés, and a real sense of relaxed, supportive community.

What is your favourite park in your city and why?

The Toronto Islands. It’s such a special, magical place that can make you feel absolutely transported. And its more important than ever to protect the Islands now that (some) powers that be want to commodify it for essentially business travellers from out of town.

What is your favourite music venue in your city?

The Dakota (RIP). Toronto, save Sneaky Dee’s – please!

What is your favourite music store in your city?

Sonic Boom!

The post Five Minutes With: Alt-Country Band LeBarons appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

How would you describe your comedy style?

Slice of life meets therapy, meets “oh my God, I had kids,” meets poverty.

Who are some of your influences?

Gertrude Stein, Genghis Khan, and the Earl of Sandwich.

Who was your favourite comedian growing up?

Steve Martin — yeah, I’m old.

Who is your favourite comedian now?

Sam Morril lately, but Norm MacDonald, Nick DiPaolo, Joan Rivers, and Brian Regan all time.

What is your pre-show ritual?

I used to do push-ups, but now I just pace in the back and get my 10,000 steps in.

What is your favourite place you have performed? Why?

I’m lucky enough to work for David Goodman at Humour Me. We’ve raised over $29 million for various charities and hospitals, and I’ve trained over 50 CEOs, politicians, and celebrities to become stand-up comics for charity. For the last 11 years, I’ve had the pleasure of performing at the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre. But to be honest, comedy is always best in a small, damp, tight space — so the original ComedyWorks in Montreal where I started, or back in the day the Downtown Yuk Yuk’s on Bay Street in Toronto, were always my favourites.

What is your favourite bit you have written, and why were you proud of it?

If I can make you laugh and relate to something that is supposed to be painful and sad, then my job is done. A good dick joke can also be painful and sad, so really it’s the same thing.

What is your favourite medium for finding new comedians?

Everything is on social media now, but nothing beats live comedy.

Tell us a joke about your city.

My wife’s into roleplay. The other night she wanted me to pretend I was the Toronto Maple Leafs — so I started strong and hard, but then just before I was about to climax, I started choking. I lasted one round.

Do you have anything to promote right now?

I’d like to promote giving the thank-you wave when someone lets you into traffic. But if you want more, check out my album Roleplay — and email SiriusXM to tell them to play it more often. My kid needs a PlayStation 5.

Where can we follow you?

Instagram, or hit me up on Facebook. Yes, I’m old.

PAY IT FORWARD — who is another local comedian we should know about?

So many good ones, but I recently worked with a young kid named Ben Bayfield — he’s going to be something special.

The post Tragedy Plus Time: Comedian Ian Sirota appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

Her dedicated passion and skills shine through her work. And the fact that she consistently keeps producing has been an inspiration to watch again and again. Observing both her artistic vision and her craft is quite inspiring. Her recent writings will be useful for the next generation and is also a means of sharing the lessons learned along the way, as well as the importance of persevering and believing in one’s own talent and capacity. Jennifer Lieberman is an inspiring artist to watch develop, cultivate and create meaningful works.

-Written by Mira Carniol, friend

***

Which ’hood are you in?

I’m right in the heart of the Entertainment District off King Street, walking distance to some of Toronto’s hottest attractions: The Well, Waterworks, Rogers Centre, CN Tower, TIFF/Bell Lightbox, Kensington Market, Stacked Market, The AGO, Harbour Front, Second City, YukYuk’s and so much more! My guilty pleasure in the hood is Dark Horse coffee shop; they have the most delicious kale and cheddar sourdough scones, they’re hard to resist.

What do you do?

In a nutshell, I guess what I do is a lot of pivoting and hat collecting. I’m an actor who got tired of waiting to get picked, so I started writing and producing my own film and theatre productions. I had been working in production for several years and was writing scripts since childhood, but it took years before it all came together with my solo show “Year of the Slut”. After working on the show for a few years and turning the initial failure into a success, I adapted the story into my debut novel “Year of the What?”, which led me to becoming an award-winning and #1 Best-Selling Author. I’ve also written, produced & acted in several short films that have won awards and screened at many international festivals, including the Cannes Film Festival Short Film Corner.

In addition to my creative work, I founded Make Your Own Break to help other frustrated actors, writers, directors and performance artists learn to produce their own productions with little to no resources through my workshops and consulting. Most recently, I taught a theatre production course at TMU and adapted the material into the book “Independent Theatre Production for the 21st Century In Seven Simple Steps,” which became a #1 Amazon Best Seller the week it was launched.

What are you currently working on?

Like most creatives, I’m juggling several projects at various stages of development. My feature film is moving forward, and we’re scheduled to shoot in Toronto in 2027. It’s a tumultuous dramatic love story and a major passion project for me. “Year of the Bitch”, my second novel and part two in my “Year of the What?” series, will be coming out in 2027.

I’m also attached as producer on an AI feature film out of the UK, and two plays in New York City by the same playwright – one is being developed for Broadway in 2028 and the other for Off-Broadway in 2027/28.

Where can we find your work?

My novel “Year of the What?” and my most recent book “Independent Theatre Production for the 21st Century In Seven Simple Steps” are both available on Amazon.ca and Indigo.ca. You can get more info about the novel here, or if you’re interested in production information or my workshops, you can check out here. For my acting work, check here.

The post “A Day in the Life” with: Performing Artist Jennifer Lieberman appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

What is your channel called and what is it about?

@jenna.rachel.kaplan I am a food and lifestyle creator in Toronto who really aims to share my personal taste with my audience.

When did you start it? What motivated you at the beginning?

I actually started by creating my food account, @lilfoodiejj, while living in Montreal for University in 2016. My friends and I joked that I take so many pictures of my food and I should start a food blog. A few too many gin and tonics later, and the account was born. I began posting, and shortly after, businesses and brands like Foodora began to want to collaborate with me long before influencer culture had grown to what it is today. This always remained a cute thing I did on the side while I pursued acting. During the pandemic, I career-flipped from acting to marketing, and I soon came to the realization, after working with a bunch of content creators, that I could advocate for myself in this industry too. In 2022, I started to take it seriously and focus on my main channel, @jenna.rachel.kaplan (which has gone through many name changes through the years). Though I’m not some huge influencer, I am proud of my work and know my community trusts my recommendations and that I’ve built something special.

Who were you inspired by? Any influences?

I am always inspired by incredible women around me who constantly remind me to be myself. My mom is always my biggest influence, but I’ve had many theatre professors, friends, and fellow creators who are so authentically themselves and share their unique voices. I’m very lucky to have a community of women around me who help me shine and support me.

How would you describe your audience?

My audience is people who love food as much as I do. I have a lot of members in my community with exquisite taste who send me recommendations, and some who are looking to learn more about where to go, what to try, and who to bring along with them.

What is your creative process? Do you have people who work with you?

Though I work alone, I have found tremendous support and inspiration from my fellow Toronto food and lifestyle creators. My creative process is “chaotic-good” – just like me! My notes app is filled with ideas and lists. I constantly text my friends if they want to come shoot with me. Most of all, my biggest piece of advice: when an idea strikes, don’t stall, just get up, film it, and post it. I think a very important part of my creative process is not stifling my impulses. It takes away the fear of judgement if you just get out there and do it without letting your brain even contemplate any doubts.

How do you monetize your content? Do you also have another job?

Like many of the content baddies in the city, I do have other jobs (emphasis on the jobS). I work part-time as a UGC Coordinator for Serotina Media, and I work part-time as an autism support worker with adults on the spectrum. I do create UGC content myself, which is how I monetize my content. From my acting experience, it’s been a seamless transition from stage to screen.

What is your favourite piece of content you have created?

My favourite piece of content I’ve created in 2026 so far has been collaborating with McDonald’s to promote their $5 McValue Meals. I’ve always been a McDonald’s lover, so getting the email from them that they wanted to work with me was a big moment! I also got to shoot it with my mom, whom I love so much!

What is the best part about what you do? What is the worst part?

The best part about being a content creator for me is the constant ability to be creative. Since I was little, I had dreams of being an actor. I got my BFA and MFA in theatre and was living and working in London as an actor. Being a content creator gave me a feasible way to repackage those dreams. I get to share myself, my life, and my opinions with the world while still getting to work creatively. It’s been an absolute whirlwind to work with brands I love and to get invited to epic events and activations. Though despite the glamour, the most difficult part is twofold: The first being inconsistent income. If you’re not being represented by an agent who is constantly pushing work for you, it can be hard to maintain steadiness. The second being burnout. I know, “my steak is too juicy, my lobster is too buttery,” but the events overlap, new trends pop up every single day, and you have to be super dialled in to the zeitgeist to be successful, and that can get very overwhelming.

What are your future plans for your channel?

I would love to keep growing and see how far I can take this channel. Would I want to be a full-time content creator? Tricky question. In theory, I do love that idea. In practice, that is such a massive leap into uncertainty that, transparently, I’m not ready for just yet. But if the time comes and it feels right, that would be pretty cool!

Where can we follow you?

Instagram | TikTok

PAY IT FORWARD: What is another Canadian content creator that you love?

One of my favourite Canadian creators who I love both personally and professionally is Sarah Smart @sarahpsmart. She is such a light in the community, is always welcoming, and so fun to dance alongside at concerts.

The post My Digital Life: Content Creator Jenna Kaplan appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

Had a long day and just want to relax on the couch and read a book or watch TV? She’s happy to snuggle up next to you and take a snooze. Need a laugh? She’ll bring you her favourite toy and keep you amused with her antics! Ready for an adventure? Whether it’s to meet new human friends or just enjoy the smells along the way, Destiny is ready to tag along!

She is a curious and silly girl who will always greet you with a wagging tail and a ton of love; the only thing she’ll ask for in return is maybe just a bum scratch or two.

Destiny

Breed: Mixed Breed, Large (over 44 lbs fully grown), Mix

Age: 4 years

Sex: Female

Size: L

Colour: Rust / White

Spayed/Neutered: Yes

For Toronto Humane Society’s complete adoption process, please click here to learn more about how you can make this companion, a forever friend!

About this column:

Each week we feature animals available for adoption from local shelters in the Toronto area with the hopes that our readers will assist in finding good homes for them. If you, or someone you know, has the resources to take care of one of these animals, please do get in touch with the appropriate shelter via the links provided.

The post Destiny the dog is looking for a new home in the Toronto area appeared first on Toronto Guardian.