Curling for a Cause: Sponsors Announced, City Launches Video for Manitoba Music Rocks Charity Bonspiel

As the local music community readies its brooms to rock the house, City Winnipeg's Wheeler in the Morning has produced and launched a fun new series of curling videos to highlight the Manitoba Music Rocks Charity Bonspiel in support of the Kevin Walters Memorial Fund. 

A stellar cast of local music personalities -- including JP Hoe, Chic Gamine's Andrina Turenne, Sarah Michaelson (aka Mama Cutsworth), and Manitoba Music's Donna Evans, plus guest star and curling mainstay Arnold Asham -- assembled to shoot the series of three videos at the Granite Curling Club. Spoofing a few well-known movies and film tropes with the invariable curling theme, the videos will be aired on Wheeler in the Morning throughout the week and can also be found online. Click to watch the first video

"This partnership with Manitoba Music and Manitoba Film & Music is something the City team looks forward to every year," says City's Live Eye host, Jenna Khan, who also appears in front the camera in the videos. "Our Creative Services department is one of the best in the biz, and along with other members of the team, we're so happy to support and celebrate Winnipeg's vibrant music scene through our videos."

This is the latest in the City Winnipeg creative team's curling video productions, written and directed by Kevin McQuade. They picked up a 2013 Signature Award for the “Curling Tips Series” featuring the likes of John K. Samson and JP Hoe, produced a music video for Indicator Indicator's original tune, "Let Me Introduce Curling", and teamed up curling pro Jon Mead, Imaginary Cities' Rusty Matyas and Oh My Darling's Vanessa Kuzina for last year's the instructional video spoof, 'Etiquette for the Competent Curler'. 

The sold out bonspiel, presented by Manitoba Music and Manitoba Film & Music, will take place at the Granite on February 28, 2015. Fans are welcome to cheer on the curlers at the event, which brings the province's vibrant music community together to raise funds for the Kevin Walters Memorial Fund -- a charity that honours Walters' memory through financial support for promising performers and organizations in music, film, performance and the creative arts. Walters, who passed away in June 2014, had very close ties with Manitoba Music, Manitoba Film & Music, as well as the larger music industry. 

The generous support of sponsors has been key to raising these funds. We would like to thank all our sponsors: video sponsor City, beer sponsor Half Prints Brewing Co., toque sponsor Special T Shirt Company, draw sponsor SOCAN, and sheet sponsors Asham, The Forks, Guppy Graphic Design, Long & McQuade, Ralph James, Six Shooter Records, and the West End Cultural Centre. 

For more info, updates, and to watch all the videos once they're released visit  manitobamusic.com/curling.