Brad Wheeler

Brad Wheeler is an arts reporter and entertainment writer at The Globe and Mail who focuses on music and the wider culture around it, blending criticism, artist conversations and scene reporting across genres. His coverage is distinguished by close attention to Canadian rock and indie communities, a willingness to write frankly about major pop releases, and a habit of tying music stories to film, science and memory. He moves between concert reviews, album criticism, interviews and reflective essays, giving communications teams a clear view of how artists and projects will be framed.

Canadian rock and indie coverage

Wheeler devotes significant attention to Canadian rock and indie acts, treating them as central figures rather than peripheral stories. In his piece on the joint tour by Metric, Broken Social Scene and Stars, he presents the collaboration of these Canadian icons as a “dream,” underscoring how he approaches such tours as major cultural events rather than routine tour announcements. His language in that coverage emphasises the stature of the bands and the emotional appeal of seeing them share a bill, signalling that he is interested in both the logistics and the narrative around high-profile tours.

His reporting extends into live-performance features that focus on how artists and audiences meet on stage. When he speaks with musicians about sharing a stage with Gord Downie, he highlights the experience of performing alongside a revered figure and what that means within Canadian music. That angle shows a preference for stories that treat performance as part of a broader legacy, not just a single night’s entertainment.

Wheeler also writes about emerging and mid-career Canadian artists with a critic’s eye. He is cited as a Globe and Mail music reporter praising an album by Justin Rutledge as one of the best Canadian records in the world, indicating that he does not restrict his attention to international stars and is prepared to champion domestic work when it meets his standards. Together, these examples show that Canadian rock and indie acts, from long-established bands to singer-songwriters, sit at the centre of his music beat.

Artist conversations and scene reports

Interviews and conversational profiles are a major part of Wheeler’s output, often framed around resilience, identity and the long arc of a career. In his conversation with Patti Smith, he focuses on her description of herself as “a good survivor,” using the interview to explore endurance and reinvention as key themes in punk and rock history. That approach suggests that when he sits down with an artist, he looks for more than promotional talking points, drawing out narratives about survival, aging and artistic purpose.

He also interviews artists around new releases, positioning records within political and social contexts. One subject describes speaking with him about the new release of “My Canada,” linking the discussion to broader ideas about democracy. This kind of framing shows that Wheeler is interested in how records intersect with civic life and public discourse, not just their sound.

Beyond one-on-one interviews, Wheeler reports on local scenes in formats that mix text with photography. A photo essay he wrote from the Cameron House on a Sunday night describes a packed room grooving to the Doghouse Orchestra, capturing the atmosphere of a small venue and the energy of a live ensemble. In that piece he documents the room, the crowd and the band, indicating that he is a useful contact for stories rooted in specific venues, neighbourhoods and night-by-night music culture.

Album, concert and classical criticism

Wheeler’s critical writing is notably direct, especially with high-profile pop releases. A commentary on his review of a Taylor Swift album describes him as a Globe and Mail critic who called the record “not great” and noted that it lacked a single standout song. That reaction illustrates his willingness to publish a negative or lukewarm assessment of a major artist when the music does not meet his criteria, making him a critic whose coverage cannot be assumed to be promotional.

His concert reviews cover heritage rock acts with attention to performance quality and persona. In his piece on John Mellencamp, titled “Once a ‘Dangerous Young Man,’ Mellencamp Becomes a Formidable Old One,” he writes about a show that opens with the taped music of Johnny Cash’s “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” and goes on to assess Mellencamp’s transformation over time. The review balances set details with a broader reading of the artist’s evolution, showing that he uses live reviews to comment on how stagecraft and songs reflect a changing identity.

Wheeler also writes on classical music, including material linked to Glenn Gould. A Royal Conservatory of Music roundup cites his article “Scaling Gould’s wall,” placing him among writers who cover major classical figures and institutions. In the same source, his piece “How do you beat the winter blahs? Listen to sad music, neuroscientists say” treats listening habits as a subject for science-informed arts reporting, drawing on neuroscientific research to explain why people turn to sad music in certain seasons. Those examples demonstrate that his beat crosses over into classical repertoire and music psychology, adding depth to his coverage beyond standard reviews.

Film and cross-arts writing

Although music is his primary focus, Wheeler also writes about film and screen culture, often through a personal or nostalgic lens. In “The drifting summer days of Grease, as remembered by Brad Wheeler,” he reflects on the 1978 musical film Grease, recalling its summer atmosphere and casting it as part of his own cultural memory. That essay shows he is comfortable placing himself in the story when it serves a larger point about how certain films and soundtracks shape a generation’s experience.

His role as a critic extends to movies and television more broadly. A Rotten Tomatoes critic profile lists movie and TV reviews under his name, confirming that his byline appears on screen-media criticism as well as music pieces. For communications work that spans both soundtrack and film release, this dual focus means he can weigh in on how music functions within visual narratives.

Taken together, Wheeler’s work at The Globe and Mail combines music reporting, artist interviews, concert and album criticism, classical and science-informed features, and film writing. His coverage is grounded in specific performances and records, with an emphasis on Canadian artists and a readiness to connect music to memory, psychology and broader cultural themes.