Be a tourist in your own city.
Updated: December 2025 [Originally posted December 7, 2021] Listen & Follow on Spotify I had always wanted to make an all-local, holiday season Playlist! ☃️🎄 I Heart Hamilton turned 10 in 2021, and by then, I had come across enough local holiday tunes to round out a festive mix (so far including Hamilton and Burlington … Read more
Listen & Follow on Spotify Here we go! Wrapping up the 11th year of I Heart Hamilton with the annual Best Of Playlist. As I always say, it’s so tough to narrow down and rank music, so please use this as your jumping off point to discovering more, and show your support for local artists. … Read more
Listen & Follow on Spotify Arkells & Cold War Kids – “Past Life” [Listen]I’m sick of running from a past lifeI don’t care about the next oneAm I running from the moment?Or the city where I come from? First off, huge congrats to Arkells – the band just took home the JUNO Award for Group Of … Read more
Listen & Follow on Spotify Arkells – “Reckoning” [Listen]Just wait until the smoke clearsSee what the morning brings Arkells have had a busy start to the year. They just dropped a brand new single, and along with it, announced a new album. Blink Twice will be the follow up to Blink Once. More exciting news … Read more
Listen & Follow on Spotify Lee Reed – “Drop The Charges” [Listen]City just shrug like, “So?”Then pretend they don’t know Lee Reed’s art is consistently visceral and captures our particular moment in time, whether globally, nationwide, or right here in our own city. His new track “Drop The Charges” is dedicated to the Hamilton Encampment … Read more
Let’s go! This year I celebrated the 10th Anniversary of I Heart Hamilton. What a ride! Music has been such an incredible part of the journey. If you missed it – give the 10th Anniversary Playlist a spin to commemorate the milestone. I had a really nostalgic time putting it together. So many memories are … Read more
Listen & Follow on Spotify Duckai – “Stuck” [Listen]I’ve really been digging what we’ve been hearing lately from local music-maker Duckai. Great production, musical sensibilities, smooth harmonies – the artist’s DUCK! EP remains one of my favourite local releases this year (refresh with my June Playlist)! The elusive duck returns with smooth new single, “Stuck.” … Read more
Listen & Follow on Spotify Ellevator – “Easy” [Listen]Took a page from your bookAnd curbed my doubts with miraclesWe have some Hamilton heavy-hitters coming in with new music this month! Ellevator returns with “Easy,” a track I’ve loved hearing at their live shows. This track leads the way for the band’s first full-length album. Singer … Read more
By Kristin Archer As the great Joni Mitchell said, “Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone.” When I started this blog in 2011, I didn’t think about how long I would be chronicling my hometown adventures, and also how much Hamilton would change over time. With change … Read more
It’s time to wrap up another year! 2019 marks the eighth year of I Heart Hamilton. Once again I urge you to get out there, go to shows, buy music/merch, and become invested in your local music scene. It’s always so difficult to narrow down and rank a list and get to as many artists … Read more