Strong Local Presence at CMW 2006

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Nine Manitoba acts are heading to Toronto this week to showcase at one of Canada’s biggest music conferences. Some of Manitoba’s leading artists as well as developing acts will represent their home province in front of fans, industry and media with performances at Toronto’s Canadian Music Week (CMW) running March 1-4, which gathers together some of the biggest names in the music industry.

Featured this year are rock trio Inward Eye, pop act Paper Moon, country pop chanteuse Amanda Stott, pop singer singer/songwriters Mia Kulba and Jodi King, instrumental rockers Red Blanket, electronic artist Lampshade, pop/rock trio Quinzy, and country band After All These Years. Joining the Manitoba delegation this year are some prominent local industry professionals including Burning Circus Management’s Glen Willows, Unison Studio’s Jack Shapira, Avante Records’ Marshall Zacharias, Vinyl Republik Records’ Jesse Tottle, and representatives from Race Day Promotions and Kray Industries.

Manitoba artists and industry professionals were able to access financial support for their showcasing at CMW through the Market Access Program, a program jointly funded by MARIA and MANITOBA FILM & SOUND.

“Manitoba traditionally has a strong presence at CMW,” says MARIA’s Programs and Operations Manager Sara Stasiuk, who will be joining the Manitoba delegation in Toronto. “This year’s list of artists showcases the diversity of talent in our province. Everyone at MARIA is excited to be able to help the artists travel to important industry events like this, but we know that it’s also imperative to get the industry insiders like Glen Willows and Jack Shapira to the conferences to help grow Manitoba’s industry as a whole. We’ve definitely been able to do that this year, with the help of MANITOBA FILM & SOUND.”

CMW is a four-day annual event that encompasses a festival, conference, trade show and multiple awards shows, including the Canadian Independent Music Awards, also know as The Indies. Three Manitoba acts have been nominated for The Indies this year, including popular hardcore act Comeback Kid, roots singer/songwriter Alana Levandoski, and internationally-acclaimed Juno-winning violinist James Ehnes.

Comeback Kid, which released Waked The Dead on local label Smallman Records, has been nominated for Favourite Metal/Hardcore Group as well as making onto the shortlist for CBC’s Galaxie Rising Stars Award, which is voted on by music journalists from across the country. Levandoski, who has recently been making waves in Europe, is nominated for Favourite Folk Artists. No stranger to The Indies, Ehnes is up for Favourite Classical Artists. The Indies will be awarded at a gala event kicking off CMW on March 1.

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