View the full photo gallery here.

To celebrate 25 years as a band, Simple Plan decided to invite some of their closest friends to share the stage for the Bigger Than You Think! Tour. A cool night thanks to the Lake Michigan breeze, with the Chicago skyline as the backdrop, made for an ideal summer show.

The evening was an upbeat mix of American and Canadian punk rock, starting with singer-songwriter LØLØ. Bringing her music videos to life, songs such as “debbie downer” and “DON’T!” gave the audience a chance to swing shiny red pom poms and dance with a silver robot. Her set was much more than a performance; it told a story. Sonically, sound effects strategically placed alongside the instrumentals felt as though the audience was transported into her own version of Oz. Her live band and she fought off invisible enemies, ducked past nonexistent flying objects and used every inch of the stage to bounce with the crowd.

Following LØLØ was 3OH!3, who paid homage to their Canadian tour mates by sporting head-to-toe denim ensembles.

“We are here for a formal event with some important people,” they said about their outfits before performing their latest single, “SLUSHIE”.

Their performance was just as chaotic as their music, in the best way possible. The audience consistently had their hands in the air, displaying the hand gesture synonymous with the duo. In addition to their new song, they performed classics such as “Double Vision”, “My First Kiss” and “Don’t Trust Me” supported by The Summer Set’s Jess Bowen on drums and Teenage Wrist’s Marshall Gallagher on guitar.

Writing alone can give someone the confidence to share personal, emotional pieces of themselves that can be translated through fiction or non-fiction. Author David Ellis compares that first time of showing somebody that writing to “putting your heart on a chopping block and handing someone a cleaver.” He recalls the first time he shared his writing, hoping he would not be told to find a different hobby. Instead, he became an award-winning author of crime fiction novels.

A typical day in the life of Ellis starts around 3:30 in the morning. A few hours before his wife and children wake, he sets aside this time to write. For the rest of the day he is a husband, father and judge of the Illinois Appellate Court. His legal background gives him an understanding of the legal system, courtroom dynamics and criminal behavior that contribute to the intricate details of his stories.

Another topic that he is familiar with is the city of Chicago, so it comes to no surprise that it is the primary backdrop of his novels. From growing up in the western suburbs to living and working in the heart of the city, Ellis enjoys incorporating the places that he knows and loves.

“Chicago is a great place to set a story in my opinion because it’s both a big city and a small town,” he said. “You still have a lot of people in Chicago with midwestern values, but it’s a huge city where anything is possible and any crime is believable.”

His latest book, The Best Lies, showcases both of those topics as protagonist Leo Balanoff finds himself in a predicament as his fingerprints show up on a murder weapon. The crusading attorney has two principal traits: he has an outsized sense of fairness and justice, and he is a diagnosed pathological liar. When he will stop at nothing to wrong a right, that includes not always being truthful.

When writing his first novel, Line of Vision, Ellis had no prior knowledge of the publishing industry. His finance degree did not involve creative writing or literature courses. He did not know a single writer, publisher or editor to ask for advice. Instead, he wrote and rewrote until he felt like he was seeing an improvement. He was willing to put in the work to see what all he could accomplish.

One of the most important lessons Ellis has learned is to put the reader first. He credits co-author James Patterson for making sure the lesson stuck, saying that thinking about the reader at all times will determine whether or not what is being written will be positively received. The key is to not overwhelm the reader with too much information on a particular subject because they might not share the same level of interest as the writer.

That was his thought process as he researched pathological liars for The Best Lies. That area of psychology is not concrete, so it allowed Ellis to have some freedom in his writing without the worry of misleading or misrepresenting.

“I don’t mind challenging the reader, giving them tough issues to deal with, as long as it’s done in a way that’s entertaining,” he said. “There are all these decisions you have to make as a writer constantly; in every chapter, on every page, you’re making decisions. When is the reader going to get bored? When do you cross that line between giving them enough until they feel like they’re really in the moment or they really understand but without saying too much?”

What is paramount to Ellis is that the reader has fun. It may sound like an elementary task, but it took him a while to get to a place where he recognized the importance of enjoyment. His books are giving the reader an escape in a world that is currently quite complex and difficult. In whatever way he can deliver that, he will try his hardest.

That is not to say that writing is not an enjoyable experience for him. In fact, it is his sheer love for writing that keeps him motivated to pursue it as well as serve for the First District. He admits that the pace can be difficult, but certainly not impossible.

“I am willing to do whatever I have to do so that I can have jobs that I love,” he said. “I can’t even tell you how lucky I feel about that, and I think about that every single day. On my worst day as a writer or my worst day as a judge, I still think this is better than anything else I can do.”

Photo courtesy of Jotam Michael

My journey into music began in the later years of high school, where I took my first tentative steps into performing. However, it wasn’t until my second year of university that music truly became something more meaningful. During a deeply introspective experience - shared with close friends and enhanced by the kind of spontaneous self-discovery university years often bring - I came to a powerful realization: I wanted music to be a permanent part of my life. Singing became an outlet for me; it was the one thing that consistently helped ease my anxiety and bring me peace.

Not long after that, I met Kirk and Vanessa, who were starting a music club at Brock University called GoLive. That club quickly became a major part of my life. It gave me a sense of community and introduced me to others in the local music scene. Over time, I became more involved - eventually performing in and around the St. Catharines and Niagara music circuit.

After graduating and moving to Toronto for full-time work, I found myself missing the creative outlet that music provided. I joined a band that didn’t end up working out, but it led me to our current drummer, Luis. From there, everything began to fall into place. We connected with Vincent and Alex, and that's when Eleven Minutes Late was officially born.

Performing live - especially in packed bars with crowds singing the lyrics back to us - has been one of the most rewarding experiences. Even more meaningful is seeing people connect with our original music. That excitement fueled our desire to keep writing, which eventually led to the creation of our self-titled EP.

This EP is eclectic by design. Each track explores different sounds, energies and moods. It’s been a creative exploration for all of us, and we’re proud of how it turned out. We hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed making it - and we’re excited to share more music with you soon.

- Wasim, vocalist/rhythm guitarist

For as long as I can remember, music has been a huge part of my life. As a kid, my parents kept a CD case in the back seat with many of the albums that would define my childhood and early teenage years. The first time I ever saw someone play the guitar and really sound good I knew that I wanted to learn how to do it too. I didn’t pick one up and seriously try to learn until I was about 12 though, on an old Squier Stratocaster my dad had but hadn’t touched in years. I put new strings on it and began to find YouTube videos to play songs I thought sounded easy. The Ramones, Green Day and Nirvana taught me all about power chords and made it feel easy to get encouraged and play along.

In middle and high school I became very involved in school band where I played clarinet for a few years before switching to drums and percussion. In my final two years of high school, I also played in the pit band for the school musical (The Wiz and The Sound of Music, if you’re curious). When I was 15 I joined my first band outside of school with some friends from band class. I came on as a bass player and we played at some very small venues in Toronto like The Cavern or Cinecycle. The fondest memory I have from a show with that band was playing at the supermarket one night to an admittedly lacklustre crowd. I was 17 or 18 at the time and had never played somewhere that nice without the school band.

Around 2018 I was no longer in that band, and didn’t play much music for a few years afterwards. It wasn’t until 2022, when things began to start feeling normal again after the craziness of 2020 and all that followed. I began to look for other people to play with, this time as a guitarist, since I really missed the feeling of playing live. I met with a lot of great musicians but putting together a functioning band that’s driven towards the same goal is no easy task.

When I first auditioned for the band that would eventually become Eleven Minutes Late, I was asked to learn a handful of cover songs and meet at a rehearsal studio in the city. After two rehearsals they asked me to join the band that had yet to be named. We found a bassist, voted on a name and gigged as much as we could with the covers we’d learned. After about a year we started writing, then hit the studio to record our first EP. Since then we’ve written much more and are incredibly excited to see what the future holds as we progress as a band and as musicians.

- Vincent, lead guitarist

I was about 9 or 10 when my parents signed me up for music school. It wasn’t my idea - my cousin was going and they figured I should tag along. At first, I wasn’t thrilled. The endless repetition of scales and exercises felt more like homework than fun.

Then came the moment that changed everything. One day, I managed to piece together my own beat. It wasn’t perfect, but it was mine. The sound came alive under my hands, and I felt a rush - like I was on top of the world. That feeling has been hard to recreate ever since, but it planted a seed. Music wasn’t just an activity anymore; it was something I wanted to chase.

Fast-forward about a decade. I moved to Canada, carrying that spark with me. I joined a few bands, hoping to take music more seriously. At first, it was exciting - new people, new songs, new energy. But the same thing kept happening: after a few months, the bands would dissolve.

That’s when I realized I couldn’t just wait to find the “perfect” band - I had to build it myself. After plenty of trial and error, I found the right people: Wasim, Vincent and our former bassist, Alex. We clicked instantly, and Eleven Minutes Late was born.

We started with covers to build our chemistry, but soon moved to writing our own songs. That creative process brought back the same thrill I felt making that first beat - only now, it was amplified by the shared vision of a committed group.

Now we’re working on our upcoming EP, and every song feels like another step toward the dream that started in that small music school room years ago. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: the right people and the right passion can turn a single spark into something that lasts a lifetime.

- Luis, drummer

I suppose my journey of music began with kindergarten, being shown “Yellow Submarine” at an early age. It was pretty crazy stuff to show a 4-year-old. But whether I knew it or not, that would instill in me the first love of my life, and to my eternal debt, I had always been around good music as a kid. My parents played The Who and Led Zeppelin, and I would only come to love this music as I got older. Unfortunately, from when I was born to about 17, absolutely nothing significant happened in my life. I went to school, did my homework, played video games and occasionally did some troublemaking on the weekends. I don't often look back at this time either, as the significant stuff would all come later.

My parents, for many years, tried to get me to play some sort of music. I did the piano lessons as a kid, which was undoubtedly the impetus for most kids to never play another musical note again. Then, I did school band on the saxophone, which I absolutely hated. Looking back, I’m not sure why… Maybe because it wasn’t cool enough. In high school is where it really reached a tipping point. My dad had gotten me a little audio interface, to which my immediate reaction was, “What am I supposed to do with this?”, followed by my high school graduation gift of an electric guitar, which warranted the same reaction. Then COVID hit, and being locked in a room for a year is a great way of learning a new skill.

I had started playing the guitar and piano a little while before going to university. I started seeing a girl who had a class where she had to record a four-track song. She seemed stressed by this, so I thought I’d volunteer to record it for her. I had brought this audio interface with me, which I had never used before, but it couldn't be that hard to use, right? As soon as I set it up and was about to hit record, she called me and told me she didn’t want to see me anymore. Bummer, but I had already set this thing up, and maybe it was being alone in a dorm room during COVID, maybe it was the hatred of my new program, maybe it was the intake of the Beatles in my early life, but something changed in me that first day I hit record. 

Neighbors of Mike Chick are quite used to - and encouraging of - the noises coming from his garage studio. Alongside bandmates Biff Swenson, Dana Yurcisin, Nicole Scorsone and Rudy Meier, their home base for writing and recording the latest release from Yawn Mower was consistently occupied with sound.

I Just Can’t Wait To Die is their first group effort as a five-piece, which started with a Google Drive full of late-night voice memos and loose concepts for melodies. An entire tour was spent combing through it all, working out each idea until 10 tangible songs presented themselves. They brought those 10 songs to Chicago, playing a week’s worth of shows to test out the material.

“It was cool because you also got early crowd reactions,” Meier said. “We would play and we could see the ones that everyone seemed to like [or] maybe we got to work on this one a little more.”

Even when Chick was out of town, the band was using the studio space. In fact, a demo he had written years prior was fully fleshed out by the time he returned. Another time, he left the room and heard them jamming what eventually became the bridge of another song that made the album. Although he is the primary songwriter, this creative process was equal. Collaboration was encouraged, resulting in taking a few left turns that original members Chick and Swenson probably would not have taken on their own. It wasn’t without its disagreements, but in a more lighthearted than hostile way.

“We got out the other side of all of that with something that everyone is hyped on,” Swenson said. “No one’s looking back in anger. No important idea was scrapped.”

The drums were first to be recorded, followed by three days of Scorsone’s parts. Vocals were knocked out in a day. The majority of production was completed by Yurcisin and Meier. There was no need for hiring studio musicians as they intentionally wanted everyone represented throughout each song.

“We were actively trying to write the thing that pleased us as the player while serving the song,” Swenson said. “Which is why it was a year-long process of trying to figure out how to maneuver being a five-piece band as opposed to Mike and I just throwing shit at a wall and telling everyone this is it.”

They honestly enjoyed the recording process because they got to both highlight their skills and improve them at the same time. Each member plays multiple instruments, and Meier said that was helpful for brainstorming as they could easily comprehend what the other person was trying to do.

“You want to [always] show up with your best foot forward, but it’s nice that if you don’t there’s four other people who are equally, if not more, talented,” Swenson said.

Choosing the first three singles was a no-brainer. “Rascal” was the perfect introduction to their current sound. “Geothermal Springs” was the most diverse when it came to their collective talents. “New Years at the Airport” felt the most like it was worthy of becoming a single.

Another song that Yurcisin believes really demonstrates their range is “$12 & A Winepress”, which was written about Chick’s grandparents. The song’s lyrics are where the album title comes from, which was a struggle to decide if that was the right choice. Yurcisin swears that was his choice from day one, while the others took turns going back and forth on their vote for a while. Scorsone remembers laughing when she first received the text suggesting that title, thinking it perfectly highlighted the humor sprinkled into the album. At a certain point, it was clear that I Just Can’t Wait To Die was the only choice.

The videos that have been released alongside the singles showcase their talents outside of music. With members who also work as illustrators, designers and editors, their DIY approach to the band allows their fans to understand them better.

“There’s no way you’re going to watch one of these videos one time and catch it all,” Swenson said. “I feel like the videos do a really good job of showing not only did the band grow in numbers, not only did the songwriters quadruple, but the videos are the same way. If you’ve seen our old videos, they’re just as fun and loose and they paint a picture of what it’s like hanging out with us. This time it’s as overstimulating as an actual conversation [with us] would be.”

The ten songs are not meant to tell a single story or send a certain message. If there is a theme, it is that life exists. The listener may hear inside jokes amongst the band, observations from walking their dogs or unbelievable sights from tour. Chick said that he used to think he needed to have an entire story - complete with beginning, middle and end - in order to complete a song. These days, each line in a verse can be a different story.

“That’s what I like the most about [Chick’s] songwriting,” Yurcisin said. “I couldn’t possibly tell anyone else what a theme for this record is, but depending on the listener, you can have 40 different takeaways from even some real, literal, basic descriptions.”

Yawn Mower’s five-piece lineup means five different voices coming through each track of I Just Can’t Wait To Die. They challenged one another to make an album that was equally their own and succeeded.

“I think this record is a really good way to hear all of our personalities very clearly,” Chick said. “Maybe it’s just because I’m so close to it. When I listen I can clearly hear Biff’s influence, I clearly hear Dana, Rudy, Nicole… and everything melts with our personalities too. It’s cool to hear on a record because we were playing for two years together before that but they were all older songs. We had all this open space so now with everybody just putting their ideas together I think it came out pretty good.”

Photo courtesy of Tracy Conoboy

For Bridget Stiebris, experiencing creativity comes in waves. Months can be spent in songwriting mode, swapping ideas with OK Cool bandmate Haley Blomquist Waller and prepping for recording sessions. Other months become more administrative, booking tours or creating flyers to promote shows. It seems like just yesterday but also a lifetime ago that they went into songwriting mode for their debut LP, Chit Chat.

The intention wasn’t necessarily to have enough material for a full-length album, but this time around they planned on challenging their songwriting capabilities. They agreed that with some experience under their belt, it was time to try something new.

“I was intentionally trying to make the songs longer as a challenge to myself,” Stiebris said. “I felt that the more I listened to other people’s music, I [thought], ‘Well, I like theirs when it goes on for a little bit longer. So maybe someone will like if ours went on a little longer.’”

Right before they planned to record the eight songs they had ready, two other partially written songs came together. Those last minute ideas turned into full concepts just in time to hit record. The 10-track LP was entirely written, performed and produced by Blomquist Waller and Stiebris, with engineering support from fellow Chicago musicians Avery Black, Brad Harvey and Wesley Reno.

Having two people to coordinate the time and attention needed to create music can be equal parts simple and testing. Once one of them has an initial idea, the rest seems to flow easily. Setting one’s own deadlines and sticking to them, without the influence or persuasion of others, can become complicated. The final product makes it all the more rewarding.

They describe their storytelling as organic. In the moment, they focus on getting their point across. They never intend to have songs connect, but once the track list starts to come together, they recognize shared themes that help drive those points home.

“What you’re going through turns into the themes of the record over time,” Blomquist Waller said. “We’ll notice themes that Bridget has in her songs that I have similar themes in my songs or vice versa. It is fun to see how it all comes together just from being similar people.”

They agree that their songwriting capabilities have improved in the last few years. They are more comfortable with admitting that something isn’t working or making last minute pivots. For Chit Chat, Blomquist Waller said that they were better at bouncing off each other’s ideas and taking snippets that planned on being scrapped and working with them until they became full songs.

Their first single from the album, “Waawooweewaa”, was one of the first songs written for Chit Chat, and after sharing the demo with a few trusted confidants, they knew it was the perfect way to showcase their current sound. They debuted the track at their live shows, alongside other singles “Safety Car” and “Last”, but are most looking forward to playing the album in full at their upcoming album release show.

Photo courtesy of Alyssa Ann Dueck

I didn’t have a very strong musical upbringing. I didn’t grow up in a musical household or anything like that. We listened to music and had CDs, of course, but no more than the average household if I had to guess. I had more of an athletic background and I played any sport I was allowed. For the longest time, I wanted to be an NHL player when I grew up.

I did have a few people in my life that were involved with music, though. A couple of really close friends that all played instruments. My older cousins and older sister did some musical theatre. Being the youngest of all of them, I always thought it was super cool watching them go on stage and perform in front of a crowd of people. Those were really the only impressions of music I had growing up, though.

It wasn’t until maybe grade 7 or 8 though that something changed. My friends that played instruments performed a song at our school talent show and I remember thinking, “I want to be up there with them.” I’m sure some of it was just FOMO, but I remember thinking how fun it looked.

I was mainly drawn to drums because my best friend, Aidan, played drums and of course I wanted to be just like him. His dad played guitar and had been in bands for a long time so Aidan had a drum kit and a bunch of other music gear at his house. One day we were hanging out at his place and he wanted to show me a song he was practicing. So he goes over to the computer and searches up a video on YouTube, cranks the speakers as loud as they’ll go, hits play and then runs back to the drum set. “Sweetness” by Jimmy Eat World starts blasting and Aidan starts drumming along to it.

Aidan and I grew up a few houses down from each other and did practically everything together. We hung out almost every day; we both played hockey, loved video games, etc. One of the video games we grew up playing together was NHL 2003. Now ask anyone who has played any of the NHL games over the years which game has the best soundtrack, and I can almost guarantee they’ll say NHL 2003. My favourite song from that game: “Sweetness” by Jimmy Eat World.

I can’t say for certain that seeing Aidan play drums that day was the exact moment I knew I wanted to make music, but it was 100% the reason behind me begging my parents for a drum kit for the next three years. Combine that with our friends, Tyler and Cam, who played guitar, my sister and cousins singing for musical theatre… they all influenced me to pick up those instruments in one way or another.

I can’t blame my parents for waiting so long to get me a drum set either. Kids change their minds on a whim and there was no way of knowing if I was actually going to stick with it. Plus, drum sets are not cheap! But thank God they ended up taking that chance because damn we’ve come a long way.

Photo courtesy of Dana Gorab

For anyone who doesn’t know about the legendary 1991 Monsters of Rock festival in Tushino, Moscow, the Soviet Union had just collapsed and the post-Soviet space was feeling the wind of change. At that moment, about half a million people gathered at the Tushino airfield, according to unverified data. Legends such as Metallica, AC/DC and Pantera were performing in front of an absolutely unsophisticated audience, consisting of citizens of yesterday's Evil Empire. It is clear that all this was a celebration of life, an imprint of light from another universe…

In July 1992, Welcome to Dead House, the first book in the original Goosebumps series, was published. The cover, featuring a dilapidated house with a glowing red interior, would go on to become one of 60 iconic illustrations created for the series by Tim Jacobus.

He recalls the days of traveling to book stores and signing copies for eager children; some shyly pressed against the arms of a parent, others loudly declaring their favorite character. These days, he not only meets a new generation of Goosebumps fans but is reacquainted with old ones.

“[Events at book stores] were all very nice, but you - the fan - were 10 years old,” he said. “When we talked, we didn’t really talk to each other… Now everybody’s grown up. I get some real heartfelt stories of what it was like to be 10 back then and how the Goosebumps books played a part of their life. The fact that it’s 2025 and we’re still talking about this, it’s amazing. It’s really amazing.”

He refers to himself as a latecomer to the comic convention circuit, first getting a taste of it at the New Jersey horror convention Chiller Theatre Expo. He was invited by horror punk band The Undead as they promoted their EP, Having An Undead Summer, with cover art designed by Jacobus. The Undead mentioned that they had room for him at their booth and suggested he tag along to sign copies of the album and his art. He agreed to attend and told his girlfriend as he was leaving the house, “If only people I know come up to the table, I’m never doing this again.”

He believed that being an illustrator was not the target audience for comic conventions, but was pleasantly surprised at the turnout. Despite the booth being in an area that could have hindered his appearance, he got to learn and revel in the subcultures that gather to celebrate one another. He has been attending conventions across the country ever since.

In the quiet moments of these weekends, Jacobus may take the opportunity to peruse the aisles in search for unique treasures to gift his loved ones. He also enjoys watching convention goers interact with their heroes.

“I like when I see people go out of their way to be extra cool to the fans,” he said. “Where I can tell they are turning up all the dials to make sure that person gets everything they want.”

For those who have yet to experience the wonder of a comic convention, especially amongst his friend group, Jacobus relates it to a Grateful Dead concert. For the longest time, he never attended a show because it wasn’t the type of music he listened to. Once he attended one, he understood that it is more than the music. Conventions may not be something they are necessarily interested in, or their idea of it doesn’t seem worthwhile, but the experience can be life-changing.

Photo courtesy of Amanda Valentine

Shayfer James knew he had a new album in him. The frozen oceanside of New Brunswick, Canada, is where he spent a month off the grid, compiling 10 tracks that would ultimately become his latest album, Summoning.

Being alone and being somewhere “beautifully cold” were his two requirements when it came to working on the album. Spending time in nature gave him the opportunity to reflect, and to be completely open with himself.

“I had a feeling the album would just come out if it wanted to, and my goal was to foster a space for it each day I was away,” he said.

As the album began to take shape, a blend of dark humor and vulnerability made its way to the surface. It wasn’t until the mixing phase, however, that James noticed a central theme had come through in each of the 10 songs. By recognizing a message of self-acceptance in those tracks, it made the order in which the songs would appear on the album all the more significant.

He did refine the humorous aspects of songs such as “Make a Wish” and “Hell of a Dream” by reworking some of the lyrics, but other than minor tweaks, the songs seemed to balance each other out once a track listing was finalized.

The closing track, “Winter Hymn”, was the most rewarding song to write. It is one of two tracks that delve into the concept of letting go, whether of a relationship or personal burdens, offering a calming epilogue of resilience and hope. For James, recording the lyrics felt like publishing a journal entry.

In addition to being his most vulnerable album to date, Summoning also showcases his evolution as a songwriter. Poetic narratives, playful melodies and cinematic arrangements bring each song to life.

“Songwriting has definitely become more organic for me,” he said. “Over the years it’s become a part of my background work and I think I’m kind of always in the process of writing in one way or another; like it’s involuntary until it isn’t.”