Category Archives: The Indie Distributor

Gussapolooza Reveals Full 2026 Lineup

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Gussapolooza Music & Arts Festival returns to the Georgian Bay Steam Show Grounds in Cookstown, Ontario on August 21–23, 2026 for its fifth annual edition. What started as a backyard gathering has grown, year after year, into one of Southern Ontario’s most distinctive independent music weekends — three days of live music, original art, and community built entirely from the ground up. 

Built by musicians, for musicians — and the community that keeps showing up for them. 48 acres of open grounds, three stages, and a lineup drawn entirely from the independent Canadian music scene. 

2026 Lineup 

Headlining Saturday night is Feral Minks — the Kitchener rock outfit who have been building serious momentum across the Canadian independent scene. Produced by Jay Emmons of The Glorious Sons, their breakout single “Matador” cracked the Top 25 on the Canadian Active Rock charts, and the band earned HTZ FM’s Rock Search title in 2024, joining a lineage that includes Finger 11, The Trews, and The Glorious Sons. Multi-year Gussapolooza alumni and the festival’s 2025 Band of the Year, the Feral Minks return to close out Saturday night and receive a gold vinyl award on stage. 

Also on the 2026 bill: Propter Hawk — the Toronto five-piece fronted by Malorie Jo Blake, whose horn-drenched rock and roll has earned features in the Toronto Star and placement on Sportsnet’s Hockey Night in Canada; Taming Sari, the bilingual Ontario-Atlantic rock outfit whose single “Crazy” hit 50,000 Spotify streams and 50,000 YouTube views within weeks of release; HARKNESS, Toronto’s psych-pop solo artist known for a commanding live presence and building a loyal following across Canada and beyond; Cabin Fever, the southwestern Ontario folk/roots trio whose single “Devil Is A Friend” was featured on Season 3 of “The Trades” on CraveTV, and whose music has landed on CBC’s Alt Country and Canadian Country playlists and drawn coverage from outlets in the UK and New Zealand. Returning to the Gussapolooza stage: The Manic Boys and Girls Club — the Toronto alt-pop/rock sibling duo whose EP was produced by Gavin Brown, the award-winning producer behind Billy Talent, Metric, and The Glorious Sons. 

The full 40+ artist lineup spans rock, country, folk, and alternative, and includes Tony Rust & the Mudhorses, The Thick, Feura, Suzi Kory, Dumb Crush, Kill/Death Radio!, Black Paint, Coco Rose, The Meringues, Joanna Bronson, The Connors Brothers, and many more. Full lineup and schedule at gussapolooza.com. 

About the Festival 

Gussapolooza is an all-ages, three-day independent music and arts festival rooted in community, creativity, and connection. Since 2022, it has created a gathering space where independent and emerging Canadian artists play to the families, music lovers, and loyal regulars who have made this weekend part of their summer. 

Programming spans three music stages — the Main Stage, Barn Stage, and Side Stage — alongside a dedicated Kids Zone, Health & Wellness Zone, Vendor Village, Creator’s Convention (an outdoor podcast and media activation space), and Artist Alley. 

New in 2026: WonderGround, an immersive art zone featuring large-scale installations. 

A Platform for Independent Canadian Music 

At a time when independent artists face shrinking venue circuits and consolidating festival rosters, Gussapolooza represents something built differently. The festival was started by a musician who wanted to create a stage worth playing — and has grown entirely on word of mouth, community investment, and a commitment to keeping the lineup independent. 

For many artists on the 2026 bill, Gussapolooza is one of their largest stages of the year — and the crowd that fills those grounds came specifically to find them. 

Festival at a Glance 

  • Dates: August 21–23, 2026
  • Location: Georgian Bay Steam Show Grounds, Cookstown, Ontario
  • Format: All-ages, three-day outdoor music & arts festival with camping
  • Stages: Main Stage, Barn Stage, Side Stage
  • New in 2026: WonderGround — immersive art zone
  • Tickets: Available at gussapolooza.com

Apply to These 2026 Festivals & Conferences

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After last week’s epic trip to New Orleans for NOLA MusiCon — and a year that saw UMC everywhere, from Austin to London — we’re already dreaming of more travels in 2026.

Fortunately, new adventures are always on the horizon, for both artist and educator alike. In fact, some of our favorite haunts from the past couple years have open submission processes ongoing right now. So, if you’ve been bitten by the travel bug — and want to scratch the itch by doing your thing in new markets — we’ve compiled information on a few of our favorites right here.

SXSW London

Dates: June 1-6, 2026
Location: London, UK
Deadlines: November 24 (Performer), December 7 (Speaker)
Notes: The European edition of SXSW — now in its second year — has an open application process for those looking to make their mark overseas in 2026. Both emerging and established artists, as well as organizers of forward-thinking lineups, are encouraged to submit for performance consideration. That deadline is coming up quick, but you still have time. If you’re a speaker, you have a couple extra weeks to get your proposal together!
Link to apply: SXSW London 2026 | Public Submissions Now Open

Musikfest

Dates: July 31-Aug. 9 (Festival); Aug. 2-4 (Conference)
Location: Bethlehem, PA
Deadlines: November 15, 2025 (Conference), February 28, 2026 (Festival)
Notes: Musikfest itself is entering its 43rd year in 2026, and is the nation’s largest free, non-gated music festival, bringing nearly 1.5 million people to downtown Bethlehem in 2025. The Musikfest Industry Conference — now in its second year — aims to put world-class ideas and music industry knowledge (like yours) in front of the artists who comprise this growing, talent-rich regional arts hub (and UMC’s original hometown).
Links to apply: Festival | Conference

Gussapolooza

Dates: Aug. 21-23
Location: Cookstown, ON, Canada
Deadline: January 31, 2026
Notes: Our favorite weekend getaway is on for next August! This all-independent, three-day festival — nestled just an hour or so north of Toronto — brings some of the most notable rising acts from across North America together in the name of music, art, and community. Gussapolooza also invites vendors and artisans across the creative landscape to get involved. In that spirit, we’ll include the vendor application below, as well.
Links to apply: Festival | Vendor

Which events should we know about? Did we miss any? Let us know, and we’ll add them to the list!

Gussapolooza 2025 Countdown: Visit the UMC Media Booth!

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The excitement is building toward this weekend, as we get set to make the trip up to Cookstown, Ontario for our return to Gussapolooza!

Of course, you can tune into our YouTube and Instagram channels for updates throughout the weekend, and you can expect recap galleries to make their way onto The Blog the following week. However, we felt this year was a perfect time to kick things up a notch…

Enter the UMC Media Booth!

We’ll be onsite all weekend, welcoming artists, organizers, vendors, and guests to join us at the UMC Media Booth. There, we’ll have our 12-channel mixer at the ready to record short interviews and acoustic performances our Official Podcast, The Quinn Spinn. Swing by throughout the weekend and schedule a time to chat with us!

In addition, we’ll have information available on UMC and our UnderDogs Across Borders campaign, and a couple of special, this-weekend-only deals on select UMC merch and fall BRANDCAMP enrollment. It’s an opportunity for all those in attendance to tap in with us, as we develop a creator-centric music industry throughout the rest of 2025 and beyond!

Still need your weekend passes for Gussapolooza? Find ’em here!

Community, Artistpreneurship, and Releasing the Anchors

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I want to thank Kevin Cobus and The Indie Distributor — the wonderful folks behind Gussapolooza, one of our favorite festivals here at UMC — for this spirited conversation on The Indie Distributor podcast.

This conversation took place during the #RoadtoSXSW, and takes a deep dive into the importance of collaboration within a creative ecosystem (like the one we’re building here). We also touch on several of my 60+ Lessons from the Creative Journey, and highlight the importance of showing up for ourselves — while setting healthy boundaries.