Music festival season is upon us. CMW (Canadian Music Week) is usually first out of the starting gate. This year FCLMA was ahead of the game so for me, one segues right into the other. I’ll also be heading to Mariposa in July and Summerfolk in August. With a myriad of music shows and festival in between it’s going to be a busy summer for many and one that will pass by far too rapidly.
It’s May!!!! Festival season has begun with Canadian Music Week (CMW) and there is something for everyone. From the neophyte to the cynical lifer, CMW includes seminars and panel discussions covering Tech, Music and Radio; Mentor’s Café; Film and Music Festivals, always something to learn. ….and then there’s the networking…..better known as schmoozing…..done to a fine art. Once again the downtown Sheraton Conference Centre is command central and the heartbeat of CMW. It’s where all the conference sessions take place, the trade show for all things shiny and new is ensconced and of course, much meeting and greeting is done in the lobby bar.
There is SO much to share with you. It’s been such an incredible week celebrating Jack Richardson. A full week of music was such a blast and the Jack Richardson London Music Awards Show……fantastic. What a fitting tribute to a such a remarkable man who was so influential in the Canadian music industry and an amazing friend to all the musicians who crossed his path. I firmly believe Canada wouldn’t be home to one of the greatest bands in the world if Richardson hadn’t mortgaged his house for that first album and subsequent number one hit. I personally salute the man who believed so much in Canada he refused to go south. One of the most respected and sought after producers in the world, Richardson dedicated his career to his mother country and I love that he settled in my home town of London, Ontario.
I’m going to start out with something completely off the wall for me. Note, I am not a sports nut. Hockey (quelle horror!), baseball, basketball, volleyball, foozball….even Canada’s official sport, lacrosse…..don’t watch it, follow it, listen to it or talk about it. Sports is not something that ever turned my crank…..but then there’s Scott Foster. Foster is a 36-year-old accountant who’s never played in the NHL. He is a man who plays in a amateur league at Johnny’s IceHouse in Chicago, a man who was called into action by the Chicago Blackhawks on March 29. Foster is an “emergency backup”…..he fills in if the regular goalies are unable to play. Continue reading
I’m going to sneak one in this week. I miss writing and Tuesday’s column by fellow writer Frank Gutch Jr. has motivated me. “War stories” of a different type….addiction…”the fact or condition of being addicted to a particular substance or activity.” (Oxford Dictionary) In this case, I’m referring specifically to “a particular substance”.
I was introduced to a young lady several month ago at Cherry Cola’s. Her name is Sally Shaar. We chatted for a while….I can’t even remember if I gave her a business card…..shared a bit of information about each other (she found out I wrote for DBAWIS and I found out she was a singer in a band) and eventually we parted company.
Bullseye Records of Canada
Segarini: Don't Believe a Word I Say 