OK, let’s pay attention this year. Last CMW season I tipped you on Down With Webster (worldwide deal with Universal Canada/Motown, platinum single for “Rich Girl” and hosts of MuchMusic’s “Spring Break in Cancun), Hollerado, (winners of Ottawa’s Live 88.5 “Big Money Shot” with a prize of $250,000.00, distribution deal with Arts And Crafts and the single “Juliette” blowing up at radio across the country), Amos The Transparent, (“Big Money Shot” finalists for $50,000.00, charting at Canadian and American colleges with “The M.O.B. Catalogue” and working on their epic new disc), and Dinosaur Bones and Isle Of Thieves who continue to collect both radio stations and bigger and bigger venues. Let’s rock the 2010 candidates.
Nightbox (Ireland/Toronto)
The pride of Country Wicklow, Ireland with Canadian blood coursing through their veins. Representing Ireland this young 5-piece were the worldwide winners of the “Blastbeat” band competition, have showcased at SXSW and Europe’s “Oxegen” festival and will make their CMW debut this week with a 10 PM show Wednesday March 12 at Clinton’s. This is synth-keyboard driven new wave which harkens back to the glory days of Nuts & Bolts and The Domino Club. The band has moved to Toronto and has begun work on their first full length. The single “Can’t Turn Off The Lights” is all over the air at XM’s The Verge.
Dan Mangan (Vancouver)
This is one for our international guests. British Columbia’s Dan Mangan is quickly becoming the heir apparent of the throne of great Canadian singer-songwriters. His new album “Nice, Nice, Very Nice” (god love Vonnegut) is spawning single after single and is pushing Dan out of the confines of Canada and finding him ears around the world (he recently performed on NBC’s “Today Show” with slam poet and Vancouver Olympic showstopper Shane Koyczan). He won $25,000.00 as “Artist of The Year” at the XM radio 2009 Verge Awards and was a finalist for the prestigious “Polaris Music Prize”. Dan will be performing on Thursday March 11th at 10:00 PM at The Great Hall and Friday March 12th at 11:00 PM at the Courthouse.
Violent Kin (Saskatoon)
A brother and sister team from Saskatchewan who is cuter than The Carpenters and more dangerous than The White Stripes. From the ashes of the tragically under-appreciated Blood Lines, S.J. and Maygen Kardash have ventured out on their own and are quickly piling up the fans across Canada and down in New York after a summer-long residency in the Big Apple. Hard to categorize we’ll leave it at electro-garage-funk. They will be performing on Friday March 12th at 1:00 AM (technically Saturday morning).
Jay Sparrow (Toronto/Edmonton)
Disclosure time: I manage Jay Sparrow. The former lead singer of the Gordie Johnson produced Murder City Sparrows, has just released his second solo EP “Good Days Gone By” and in the fall of 2009 was commissioned by CBC Radio 2 to compose a song about The Badlands in Edmonton for their “Great Canadian Song Quest” along with the likes of Joel Plaskett, Martha Wainwright and Hawksley Workman. His new single “Lay Your Mountain Down” is being heard on Sirius, XM and CBC Radio 2 & 3. Imagine Johnny Cash with too much ink and a voice that could stop a freight train. Jay’s next record is being produced by Jimmy Gnecco of Ours. Jay will be at The Great Hall Friday March 12 at midnight and the Royal York Library Bar at 1:00 AM Saturday March 13.
Alert The Medic (Halifax)
This four-piece from Halifax released their second Laurence Currie produced album “We, the Weapon” late last year and the response from radio has been fantastic from coast to coast. Their new single and video Aid The Getaway” is currently moving up the Mediabase National rock chart. This is straight-ahead rock’n’roll from the back of the van to the front of the house. They will be performing at Clinton’s 11:00 PM on Thursday March 11 and at Mitzi’s Sister Saturday March 13 at 12:15 AM (Sunday morning)
Shameless self-promotion. For invites to the UR Artist Network bash on Friday March 12 at The Great Hall featuring two stages and a dozen great new bands (All-Ages & licensed) or the legendary Music Nova Scotia Tiki Party on Saturday March 13 at The Rivoli, hit me up at cam@coolplanet.ca and I will sort you out.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
….you’ve always had exemplary taste in music
On my list is The Free Press of Toronto playing Saturday at midnite at The Hard Rock.