Another week, another great line-up of Manitoba songs in the Prairie Playlist! Listen to Up To Speed every weekday between 3 and 3:30 p.m. for Ismaila Alfa's pics and hear them all on SCENE On Airevery Saturday at 5 p.m., CBC Radio One. Here are this week's tunes...
There will be plenty of Manitoba music in Los Angeles this month when a local trade mission heads to the hot California music market. Four Manitoba artists and entrepreneurs from several Manitoba-based companies will make their way south to do business with some of the industry’s leading players at a market development event at the Canadian Consul General’s Official Residence on May 29.
Coordinated by Manitoba Music in partnership with Manitoba Film & Music, and featuring a showcase and networking opportunity, the trade mission builds on the success of past events in Los Angeles. The initiative allows Manitoba artists and companies to develop critical business contacts and expand to new markets.
The Prairie Playlist had another diverse offering of Manitoba songs this week. Listen to Up To Speed every weekday between 3 and 3:30 p.m. for Ismaila Alfa's pics and hear them all on SCENE On Airevery Saturday at 5 p.m., CBC Radio One. Here are this week's tunes...
Manitoba will have a strong presence at one of Canada’s biggest music industry festivals this month. Eleven Manitoba acts are making the trip to Toronto to showcase for industry, media, and fans at Canadian Music Week (CMW), which runs March 21-25 and features 500 showcasing bands over five nights at 45 live music venues.
Showcasing acts include acclaimed rock poet John K. Samson, pop/rock outfits Royal Canoe, Mise En Scene, Federal Lights, Take Me To The Pilot, and Floor Thirteen, roots rocker James Cohen, metal band Waster, hip hop acts The Lytics and Abstract Artform, and acoustic pop singer/songwriter JP Hoe.
The Manitoba music community rocked the house for charity this month. Over 140 curlers joined event organizers Manitoba Music and Manitoba Film & Music at the 2012 Manitoba Music Rocks Charity Curling Bonspiel at the Granite Curling Club on February 12. The second annual event, which sold out quickly, united the province's vibrant music community to raise funds and awareness for the Unison Benevolent Fund.
Building on the success of the inaugural event, which took place January 2011 and welcomed 100 curlers, this year’s bonspiel doubled last year’s donation, raising $4,000 for the Unison Benevolent Fund and landing media and national industry attention in the process.
The Unison Benevolent Fund is an assistance and referral program – created and administered by the music industry, for the music industry. A registered charity established in 2010, the Unison Benevolent Fund is designed to provide discreet relief to music industry personnel in times of personal hardship and crisis. Find out more about the Unison Benevolent Fund at unisonfund.ca.
Seven Manitoba acts are packing up their gear and heading to warmer climates this month. They’re heading to Memphis, Tennessee to showcase for the folk and roots music industry at the International Folk Alliance Conference. Running February 23-26, the 24th annual event is the premier professional development conference focused on folk, roots, multicultural, and world music in North America.
This year’s showcasing acts include some of Manitoba’s best established and up-and-coming artists, including singer/songwriters Sierra Noble, JP Hoe, Jenny Berkel, Ingrid Gatin, dark roots trio Crooked Brothers, bluegrass outfit The Magnificent 7s, and country crooner Ridley Bent. Each artist will have three performances during Manitoba Music’s nightly showcases. The Magnificent 7s, Ridley Bent, Sierra Noble, and Crooked Brothers will also play coveted official “Performance Alley” showcases during the event. The showcases at this year’s conference offer artists the chance to perform for audiences that include influential folk festival buyers, booking agents, record labels, managers, and media.
Registration may have filled up fast for the Manitoba Music Rocks Charity Curling Bonspiel, but there are still lots of opportunities to get involved and enjoy the festivities. The second annual bonspiel, which is organized by Manitoba Music and Manitoba Film & Music, unites the vibrant local music community to raise funds and awareness for the Unison Benevolent Fund, a new assistance and referral program designed to provide discreet relief to music industry personnel in times of personal hardship and crisis.
The Lo Pub will be warming up curlers and music fans alike at a special kick-off party on February 11, featuring performances by local indie pop/rock outfits Haunter, A Waste Odyssey, and Modern Romantics, as well as a late night set by DJ Hunnicutt. Showtime is 9:30pm and all proceeds from the event’s $7 cover will be donated to the Unison Benevolent Fund.
Let the honeymoon with Manitoba’s renowned folk and roots scene continue! Next week, 13 Manitoba acts are travelling to Niagara Falls showcase at the 25th annual Ontario Council of Folk Festivals (OCFF) conference, which runs October 14-16.
OCFF is the largest folk and roots music organization in Canada, reprehttp://www.manitobamusic.com/jennyberkelsenting over 1,200 members in its capacity as a recognized arts service organization.
New Yorkers may not know where or even what Manitoba is, but American music fans are no strangers to Manitoba music. In recent years, renowned acts like The Weakerthans, The Wailin’ Jennys, and The Duhks, have taken the music world by storm, racked up countless awards, charted on U.S. radio, and charmed fans across the U.S. and beyond.
On October 11, five acclaimed Manitoba roots and folk acts are poised to take over New York, long recognized as the major hotbed of the folk music scene in North America. Legendary NYC venue The Living Room will play host to an exciting concert featuring ethereal singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ruth Moody (of Billboard-topping trio The Wailin’ Jennys), Juno Award-winning soul/roots quintet Chic Gamine, celebrated singer/songwriter Del Barber, all-female old time bluegrass quartet Oh My Darling, and acoustic troubadour JP Hoe.
This weekend, we bring you one of Winnipeg's brightest pop stars, JP Hoe, performing in concert. Recorded last fall at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, the concert features JP and a host of local talent, including members of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Ruth Moody of The Wailin' Jennys, indie rock band Quinzy, and a whole lot more.
The concert was in honour of JP's release of his new CD, The Dear John Letters.
Also on the show this weekend: new music!
Dominique Reynolds releases her new album Tiny Burden this weekend at the Park Theatre. We've got her song about monkeys for you.
Plus, music you've never heard on the (204) before this weekend... Pepper Laing and the Lone Star Killers. They're an old-time roots band with great lyrics and tons of energy; they've have been makin' the rounds in Winnipeg lately. You can usually find them at the Times Change(d) High and Lonesome Club, or if you're lucky, at your local Legion.
Lastly, new music from The Western States, who recorded their new album onto acutal TAPE, down in Austin Texas. The results are pretty terrific.
Listen to:
The (204) with Wabanakwut Kinew
Saturdays 5-6 p.m. on CBC Radio 1
Day two of the WCMAs included a couple of panels, four showcases, and a very disconcerting visit with large spiders.
First up: a panel on publicity and media, moderated by publicist Aimee Hill of All Access Entertainment and featuring Kyle Kraft (Battle Axe Records), Fawnda Mithrush (SEE Magazine), and Peter North (CKUA). The packed room got the basics of publicity and some solid details on what to do and what not to do when you're trying to get your band noticed. They had a lot to say about how the interweb has killed the traditional hype machine and that you shouldn't bother with publcity until your presentation (live show, recordings, press kit) are ready and you've practiced your interview skills (you practice your music, why wouldn't you practice your presentation?). Hill also pointed to Feist, who people tend to think of as an overnight success but who's actually been at this for at least 15 years (Monarch, anyone?). Fair enough. The panel didn't touch on online publicity or blogs at all, unfortunately.
Next up: a panel on international touring, moderated by Trade Routes' Nicki Dewar and featuring Kat Morris of Glastonbury Festival and The Great Escape,...
