Tuesday, August 31, 2010

NEW VIDEO : Jonas Shandel - "Drinking the Water"

Vancouver's Jonas Shandel (also of Headwater) has released the video for a track from his lovely self-titled debut, named "Drinking the Water." I had only kind things to say about the album, which you can read here.

On a stormy Vancouver day such as this, this video and song have a way of transporting me back to the lazy summer noon-time when I laid on the grass, listening to Headwater's acoustic folk/country/bluegrass sounds in front of the CBC as part of the free Musical Nooners concert series. Bliss. For photos of Jonas and the quartet on my Flickr, click here.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Artists for aquatic preservation : Great Lake Swimmers, The Balconies, Dragonette and more


Great Lake Swimmers will release a new track this week honouring fishermen and families affected by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. "Ballad of a Fisherman's Wife" was written and produced in Toronto and will be released online at www.swimdrinkfishmusic.com.

"'Ballad Of A Fisherman's Wife' was written after hearing, with great dismay, news about the oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Most striking and heart-felt to me were the sentiments of outrage from those who made their living in and along these waters, especially the fishermen, and especially their wives. I wanted to comment on this ongoing crisis from that very specific viewpoint," says Tony Dekker.

Dekker's music has been featured on the Swim Drink Fish Music website throughout the month of August. The Swim Drink Fish Music Club is an online music and audio experience @ http://www.swimdrinkfishmusic.com. Developed by Lake Ontario Waterkeeper with Ottawa Riverkeeper, and Fraser Riverkeeper, SDFM brings artists together with activists and citizens to celebrate exclusive and rare music while creating swimmable, drinkable, fishable futures for their communities.


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On the other hand, The Balconies, Dragonette and many other artists have donated songs for the Spill Compilation. Ryan McCambridge of the band Recovery Child organized the SPILL compilation, reaching out to other musicians in the Canadian music scene after the devastating explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico and consequent environmental devastation of the spill of millions of gallons of oil into the oceans.

Spill: Songs For Oil Spill Relief is a free music compilation download in support of Oceana, the largest international organization focused solely on ocean conservation. Oceana is encouraging people to help end offshore drilling through donation support and by signing their petition. Offshore drilling is a cause that the musicians on the Canadian compilation see as a global issue. In exchange for making an online donation to Oceana, you will receive a link to download the SPILL compilation.

The compilation includes tracks donated by: Dragonette, Lindi Ortega, The Balconies, Spirits, Clothes Make The Man, Recovery Child, Michou, Sandman Viper Command, The Junction, Peter Katz, The Salingers, StereoGoesStellar, and Dinosaur Bones.

Monday, August 23, 2010

NEW VIDEO : Two Hours Traffic - "Happiness Burns"

Aww. This video reminds me of all those summer days I spent as a camp counsellor. The hazy glow of Two Hours Traffic's latest video for "Happiness Burns" seems to be an ode and a send-off to those blurry days of summers past. The track is from their 2009 release Territory.

Enjoy!

NEW ALBUM : Luke Doucet - Steel City Trawler

Luke Doucet's new album, Steel City Trawler, will be released August 31st in Canada and September 21st in the U.S. on Six Shooter Records. On his fifth full-length, Luke Doucet turns to classic themes of place, love and "the existential labyrinths of human understanding." With first-time producer Andrew Scott (Sloan) at the helm, Steel City Trawler is equal parts classic rock and roll and observant social commentary.

Hamilton’s David Collier brings an original comic book interpretation of lyrics from the new songs, Hamilton’s geography and history, as well as Luke’s own life, past and present. You can see this in the album trailer below.


NEW VIDEO : Said the Whale - "We Are The Music: Musicians for (spare) Change"


This is too funny. Vancouver favourites Said the Whale grab a bunch of their friends, including Hannah Georgas, Dan Mangan, Bend Sinister, We Are the City, The Awkward Stage, Analog Bell Service, 41st and Home, Parlour Steps and The Zolas to serenade their favourite local Triple-A format radio station, 100.5 The Peak.

In their own words,
In these tough economic times, no one has been affected more than the struggling musician. Thankfully, there's a beacon of hope: A Vancouver radio station called 100.5 The Peak is doing everything in it's power to promote local music, and provide financial stability for the scene. Together, alongside some of Vancouver's favourite artists, we have reached deep into our hearts to create a tribute to this station.
This is our tribute. We hope that you will also reach deep into your hearts, find your inner struggling musician, and join us in this journey towards a world where musicians can live free from the stresses of day jobs, rent payments, and reality in general. There is still hope...

Friday, August 20, 2010

FREE DOWNLOAD & TOUR DATES : The Pack a.d... and a contest!

Mint Recording artists from Vancouver, The Pack a.d. are leaving the fires of B.C. and heading back on tour yet again. This time in Canada. In order to celebrate they are offering up free downloads of fan favourites at the myriad of live shows they have played since releasing their critically acclaimed and chart topping third album We Kill Computers on April 27th.

Free Downloads:
MP3: “B.C. is on Fire”
MP3: "Crazy"

They are announcing the details of their new contest as well. Here are the contest particulars and rules according to the band:

The Pack a.d.'s Picture Contest

You know we love contests because we like getting things in the mail, right? Anyway, we think that others must like the same thing - so even if your entry doesn't officially win - you still get a handwritten postcard from us. Postcards are cool.
Here's the contest...
You: Draw a picture of us. That's right, however you want to draw it as long as it's by hand. It can be crayon, pencil, ink, oil - whatever medium you prefer. The only guidelines are that it can't be done on a computer and that it's to be somehow of us (Maya and Becky). That means you can draw us as like, even, errr, whalers if you want or perhaps to be more politically correct, you can draw us as The Wailers..minus Bob Marley of course...this isn't a Bob Marley contest.
We: Pick the ones we like. It could be 2 or it could be 30. No matter what the amount, the chosen pictures will be put into the album insert for our next album. Yes, it's true. The winners will be immortalized in a CD booklet just like Christopher Lambert...which reminds me, you can draw us as Highlander too...that would be sweet.
Entry Deadline: November 5, 2010

Send your pictures to:

The Pack a.d.
C/O Mint Records
P.O. Box 3613, M.P.O.
Vancouver, B.C. Canada
V6B 3Y6

CBC Radio 3 Presents The Pack a.d Canadian Tour Dates with Young Rival

09/05 – Vancouver, BC @ Victory Square Block Party (The Pack a.d only)
O9/O8 - Edmonton, AB @ The Black Dog
O9/O9 – Calgary, AB @ Broken City
O9/ll – Saskatoon, SK @ Amigo's
O9/l3 – Regina, SK @ O'Hanlon's
O9/l4 – Winnipeg, MB @ Lo Pub
O9/l5 – Thunder Bay, ON @ The Apollo
O9/l6 – Sault Ste. Marie, ON @ Lop Lops
O9/20 - Montreal QC @ Le Divan Orange
O9/22 - London ON @ London Music Club
O9/23 - Windsor, ON @ Phog Lounge
O9/24 - Hamilton, ON @ Casbah
O9/25 – Toronto, ON @ The Garrison
O9/28 – Kingston, ON @ The Mansion
09/26 – Wakefield, QC @ The Blacksheep Inn (The Pack a.d. only)
10/22 – Halifax, NS @ Halifax POP Explosion (The Pack a.d only)

TOUR DATES : Dan Mangan's Peculiar Travel Suggestions Tour

Photo: Brenda Lee
Hot on the heels of the August 10th U.S. release date of his Polaris Music Prize nominated album Nice, Nice, Very Nice, and almost a year to the day the album came out north of border, Dan Mangan announces Canadian fall tour dates. From churches to halls to theatres, the “Peculiar Travel Suggestions” tour will see Dan and his band perform at some of the most beautiful and awe inspiring music venues this country has to offer. Supporting Dan on the eastern leg of the tour will be Harbourcoats, the new solo project from Constantines frontman Bry Webb while the western dates will see
Ontario’s The Burning Hell open for the band.

"It's refreshing to take the show to some alternative venues and push for a more intimate and unique concert experience. To boot, I could hardly be more thrilled with the bands we're playing with - having met them both during an unbelievable weekend at Dawson City Music Festival. The Burning Hell blew me away up there, and Bry's solo work is equally as important, cutting and remarkable as The Cons'. Truly humbling acts."

Peculiar Travel Suggestions Tour

**SECOND VANCOUVER DATE ANNOUNCED**

Oct 25. Montreal, QC
Sala Rossa w/ Harbourcoats & The Crackling
Oct 27. London, ON
Aeolian Hall w/ Harbourcoats & The Crackling
Oct 28. Toronto, ON
Trinity St. Paul’s Church w/ Harbourcoats & The Crackling
Oct 29. Kingston, ON
Sydenham United Church w/ Harbourcoats & The Crackling
Oct 30. Ottawa, ON
First Baptist Church w/ Harbourcoats & The Crackling
Nov 11. Vancouver, BC - 2nd date added
The Vogue Theatre w/ The Burning Hell & The Crackling
Nov 13. Vancouver, BC - SOLD OUT
The Vogue Theatre w/ The Burning Hell & The Crackling
Nov 15. Canmore, AB
Communitea Cafe w/ The Burning Hell & The Crackling
Nov 16. Edmonton, AB
Myer Horowitz Theatre w/ The Burning Hell & The Crackling
Nov 17. Calgary, AB
Knox United Church w/ The Burning Hell & The Crackling
Nov 19. Winnipeg, MB
The Park Theatre w/ The Burning Hell & The Crackling
Nov 20. Saskatoon, SK
The Broadway Theatre w/ The Burning Hell & The Crackling
Dec 2. Duncan, BC
Duncan Garage Showroom w/ The Crackling
Dec 3. Victoria, BC
Alix Gooldin Hall w/ The Crackling
Dec 4. Tofino, BC
The Legion w/ The Crackling

TOUR DATES : Library Voices & Paper Lions

Belfast, PEI's Paper Lions and Regina, Saskatchewan's Library Voices have teamed up for a co-headlining tour sponsored by CBC Radio 3 starting on September 28, 2010. Paper Lions will hold down headline duties in the East and Library Voices will headline on the Western leg of the tour. Most of the dates will be supported by Vancouver favourites Bend Sinister. Tickets are on sale now.

Library Voices had been proclaimed  the “undiscovered band you NEED to hear now” by SPIN. They have been featured in The New Yorker. They’ve received generous airplay on the CBC and BBC. They have won a CBC Radio 3 “Bucky” Award. They have been nominated for a 2010 Western Canadian Music Award for “Independent Album of the Year.” They’ve been mugged twice and lost all their gear twice (once through theft, once through an act of God). Denim on Denim, their debut album, was released on April 13, 2010.

Library Voices
Paper Lions have sold over 12,000 albums independently and honed their live show by touring with some of North America’s finest acts such as Cake, The Rheostatics, Joel Plaskett, The Golden Dogs, and Hey Rosetta!. They have been nominated for 10 East Coast Music awards, taking home “Pop Recording of the Year” (2006), and been awarded the “National Touring Group of the Year” (2007, CAPACOA).

PAPER LIONS / LIBRARY VOICES – CANADIAN TOUR DATES –
**w/ special guests Bend Sinister

Tuesday, September 28, 2010 – St Catherines, ON – Mansion House **
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 – Hamilton, ON – Casbah **
Thursday, September 30, 2010 – Toronto, ON – Horseshoe **
Friday, October 01, 2010 – TBA
Saturday, October 02, 2010 – Montreal, PQ – Petit Campus (POP Montreal)
Sunday, October 03, 2010 – Ottawa, ON – CafĂ© Dekcuf **
Paper Lions
Wednesday, October 06, 2010 – Charlottetown, PEI – Hunters Ale House **
Thursday, October 07, 2010 – Fredericton, NB – Capitol **
Friday, October 08, 2010 – Halifax, NS – Seahorse **
Saturday, October 09, 2010 – Sackville, NB – George’s Roadhouse **
Tuesday, Oct 12, 2010 – Sault Ste Marie, ON – Lop Lops **
Wednesday, October 13, 2010 – Thunder Bay, ON – Jacks **
Thursday, October 14, 2010 – Winnipeg, MB – Royal Albert Arms **
Friday, October 15, 2010 – Regina, SK – The Exchange **
Saturday, October 16, 2010 – Saskatoon, SK – Amigos
Sunday, October 17, 2010 – Moose Jaw, SK – Cultural Centre **
Wednesday, October 20, 2010 – Yorkton, SK – The Spot **

Friday, October 22, 2010 – Edmonton, AB – Avenue Theatre
Saturday, October 23, 2010 – Kelowna, BC – Habitat (*WCMAs – Library Voices ONLY)
Tuesday, October 26, 2010 – Victoria, BC – Lucky Bar **
Wednesday, October 27, 2010 – Duncan, BC – Cowichan Theatre **
Thursday, October 28, 2010 – Tofino, BC – The Legion **
Friday, October 29, 2010 – Vancouver, BC – Pit Pub **

Live at Squamish Festival - September 4 & 5


BC music fans! Live at Squamish Festival would like to help you kick off the school year (or whatever you have going on in the fall) with a outdoor musical extravaganza. On Labour Day weekend, at the Logger Sports Grounds and Hendrickson Fields in beautiful Squamish, BC, you can "whip it" with Devo, party with You Say Party, rock out with The Decemberists, and much more. Other performers in this 2 day festival include Matthew Good, We Are the City, Tokyo Police Club, Mother Mother, Said the Whale, and the list goes on and on.

Make sure to keep your eyes peeled here and to Twitter for updates from our Live at Squamish adventures!

For your weekend pass, visit the LaS website here. Regular weekend passes are $145, VIP passes are $249, and single day passes are $79.

NEW VIDEO : Arcade Fire - "Ready to Start"

Merge Records has finally uploaded Arcade Fire's live video for "Ready to Start" from their latest excellent album The Suburbs after it floating around the web for a couple of days. In black and white, the video captures the intensity of the band's live performance in stark contrast. Enjoy!

Related links: my review of The Suburbs.

Monday, August 16, 2010

TOUR DATES & NEW SINGLE : Hannah Georgas - with Royal Wood, Germany and NY dates

Now THAT's a show to take a date to. Vancouver-based indie pop darling Hannah Georgas, after wrapping up a summer full of festival dates and touring with the entity known as the Malahat Revue, has announced she'll be hitting the road with Toronto pianist/crooner Royal Wood. They'll be doing a series of theatre shows, from BC through Ontario. She will be opening for Wood on the East leg of the tour, and co-headline on the West coast.

Tickets for all Canadian dates are on sale this Friday August 20, 2010.

On a related note, Georgas will also be releasing a new web exclusive single named "Stranger to Me" on Tuesday August 24. The track is co-written with Matt DeMatteo and Jaylene Johnson.

Related:
Hannah Georgas interview about This Is Good.
Royal Wood interview about The Waiting.

HANNAH GEORGAS – FALL TOUR DATES
September 24, 2010 – Germany – Reepperbahn Festival
September 24, 2010 – Germany – Platzhirsch (CIMA Showcase)
October 7, 2010 – Victoria, BC – Alix Goolden*
October 9, 2010 – Vancouver, BC – Rio Theatre*
October 12, 2010 – Edmonton, AB – Myer Horowitz*
October 13, 2010 – Banff, AB – Banff Centre*
October 14, 2010 – Calgary, AB – Knox United Church*
October 15, 2010 – Saskatoon, SK – Broadway Theatre*
October 16, 2010 – Winnipeg, MB – West End Cultural Centre*
November 10, 2010 – New York, NYC – Rockwood Music Hall
November 11, 2010 – New York, NYC – The Living Room
November 12, 2010 – Peterborough, ON – Gordon Best Theatre*
November 20, 2010 – Ottawa, ON – NAC Studio*
November 24, 2010 – Guelph, ON – Dublin Street United*
November 25, 2010 – London, ON – Aeolian Hall*
November 26, 2010 – Toronto, ON – Queen Elizabeth Theatre*
* Tour with Royal Wood

Sunday, August 15, 2010

ALBUM REVIEW : Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

How do I review a maximally hyped album by a critically and mass-adored band? All I can do is go about it from my own perspective and add to the loud, enthusiastic chorus singing equally the band's praises and along to the anthemic choruses of "Rebellion (Lies)" and "Wake Up."

Montreal's Arcade Fire released their third full-length album The Suburbs after months of rumbling hype and great personal excitement. I had no doubt that this internationally successful, critically acclaimed septet (or more depending on the show) would release the must-hear album of 2010. And since August 2, everything changed... Arcade Fire has managed, in one fell swoop, to unite the independent with mainstream and soaring artistic vision with financial success, debuting at #1 for Canada, the US and UK charts. It can be done, folks!

The album's conceptualizations of modern suburban life, its comforts, frustrations, nostalgia and yearnings, has spoken deeply into my own life as I transition between the suburban life of my teenage years into the wary understanding that in more ways than one, that age cannot be sustained. Alternately, the suburbs are a womb, a launch pad, a conformity factory, and a source of inspiration. It's at once something you hotly pursue and something you fall back into. To say that Arcade Fire has written a concept album about the evils of suburban life is to simplify the complexity of the human experience... Even as the album opens with the bombs and screams of rebellion, Win and Regine closes with a fading call and response, "if I could have it back / all the time that we wasted / I'd only waste it again... and again and again." For the rebellion is not solitary, it's one spent with you.

It's not only the lyrical content that's thematic; the pulsing and restrained instrumentation take the words to soaring heights. The sonic control that the band demonstrate on The Suburbs shows, appropriately, that they've grown up. "Ready to Start" hesitates; the chorus is delayed for several verses before bursting into the titular line. The consistent offbeat kick drum in "Modern Man" verbalizes the stuttering-esque attempts by the song's character to elaborate on his feelings, like a "record that's skipping" and "clock that's ticking." The incredibly subdued "Rococo," whether referring to 18th century French art and interior design style or a 1970's prog band, has the eeriest and catchiest trisyllabic chorus that you'll hear for a long time. And for all the talk of revolution, it's not angry guitar wails that pierce through the monotony, but a sparkling, shimmering dance anthem named "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)" -- the undeniable stand out track of a sparkling, shimmery bunch. At a hefty 16 tracks, The Suburbs offers a strong 65-ish minutes of exploration and innovation with more than occasional bursts of brilliance.

So by this point, if you're bewildered by this rabid devotion and hype and have yet to experience it for yourself, let me introduce to you -- my favourite band, my friends' favourite band, my ex-boyfriend's favourite band, your favourite band's favourite band, and the biggest band on earth right now -- Arcade Fire.



Upcoming tour dates - US, Canada, Mexico, Europe (w/ Calexico supporting except LA and Big Sur dates):

Leeds Festival - Leeds, UK - Fri 27th Aug 2010
Reading Festival - Reading, UK - Sat 28th Aug 2010
Rock En Seine - Domaine National de Saint-Cloud, France - Sun 29th Aug 2010
Tempodrom - Berlin, Germany - Tue 31st Aug 2010
Arena Parco Nord - Bologna, Italy - Thu 2nd Sep 2010
Roy Wilkins Auditorium - St. Paul, USA - Wed 22nd Sep 2010
MTS Centre - Winnipeg, Canada - Thu 23rd Sep 2010
Credit Union Centre - Saskatoon, Canada - Sat 25th Sep 2010
Stampede Corral - Calgary, Canada - Sun 26th Sep 2010
Pacific Coliseum - Vancouver, Canada - Tue 28th Sep 2010
Key Arena - Seattle, USA - Wed 29th Sep 2010
Memorial Coliseum - Portland, USA - Thu 30th Sep 2010
Greek Theatre - Berkley, USA - Sat 2nd Oct 2010
Henry Miller Library - Big Sur, USA - Tue 5th Oct 2010
Shrine Auditorium - Los Angeles, USA - Thu 7th Oct 2010
Shrine Auditorium - Los Angeles, USA - Fri 8th Oct 2010
Palacio De Los Deportes - Mexico City, Mexico - Sun 10th Oct 2010
Banamex Theatre - Monterrey, Mexico - Tue 12th Oct 2010
Atlantica Pavilion - Lisbon, Portugal - Thu 18th Nov 2010
Palacio de Deportes - Madrid, Spain - Sat 20th Nov 2010
Palau Sant Jordi - Barcelona, Spain - Sun 21st Nov 2010
Le Dome - Marseille, France - Wed 24th Nov 2010
Halle Tony Garnier - Lyon, France - Fri 26th Nov 2010
Zenith - Munich, Germany - Sun 28th Nov 2010
Philipshalle - Dusseldorf, Germany - Mon 29th Nov 2010
O2 Arena - London, UK - Wed 1st Dec 2010
O2 Arena - London, UK - Thu 2nd Dec 2010
Birmingham LG Arena - Birmingham, UK - Wed 8th Dec 2010
Cardiff International Arena (CIA) - Cardiff, UK - Thu 9th Dec 2010
Manchester Central - Manchester, UK - Sat 11th Dec 2010
SECC - Glasgow, UK - Sun 12th Dec 2010

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

NEW ALBUM : Owen Pallett - A Swedish Love Story EP


Owen Pallett will be releasing A Swedish Love Story will be available on 10” and digital download. The first 20 pre-orders will also receive a bonus Lewis Takes Action 7".

"To contrast Heartland's convoluted record process, and also to cut myself a break, I recorded this EP in New York City over a week, using not much more than my violin, my Moog, a bass and a drum kit. It's closer in sound to my first album Has A Good Home than anything else. It's called A Swedish Love Story in tribute to one of my favourite films En Karlekshistoria and as a love letter to the Swedish pop stars who inspired it. This is probably the most posi record I'll ever make, enjoy the mood while it lasts."








Pallett has a few upcoming tour dates in Canada below:

OCT 25 Calgary
Knox United Church

OCT 26 Edmonton
Myer Horowitz Theatre

OCT 27 Saskatoon
Amigos

OCT 28 Winnipeg
Garrick Centre

NEW VIDEO : Broken Social Scene - "All to All"

Possibly my favourite track from Toronto's Broken Social Scene's latest, Forgiveness Rock Record. Film company Strike Anywhere Films made this video a couple of months back as a spoof, according to Pitchfork, but the band liked it so much they adopted it as the official music video.

Enjoy!

2010 Western Canadian Music Awards : Nominees include Dan Mangan, You Say Party, The Weakerthans and more!

BreakOut West is proud to announce the nominees for the 2010 Western Canadian Music Awards. The awards will be presented in Kelowna on Sunday October 24th, and for the first time in their eight year history, they will be broadcast in English on CBC Television and in French on Radio Canada. Vancouver B.C.’s Chilliwack will receive this year’s Hall Of Fame Award the same evening while The Industry Awards will be presented on Saturday October 23rd. BreakOut West runs from October 21st to 24th, 2010.

Some earbuds & ticket stubs favourites are nominated this year, including Vancouver's own Dan Mangan, up for 3 separate awards, You Say Party's latest XXXX, my favourite haunt Biltmore Cabaret, amongst many others.

The Western Canadian Music Award 2010 Nominees - for the full list of categories and nominees, go to the BreakOut West website.

Library Voices
Country Recording of the Year
Doc Walker – Go - MB
Shane Chisholm - Hitchhiking Buddha - AB
Shane Yellowbird - It's About Time - AB
Six West - Beautiful Something – B.C.
Whiskey Jane - Things Left Unsaid – B.C.

Independent Album of the Year
Colin James - Rooftops and Satellites - B.C.
Corb Lund - Losin' Lately Gambler - AB
Dan Mangan - Nice, Nice, Very Nice - B.C.
Dojo Workhorse - Weapons Grade Romantic - AB
Library Voices - Denim On Denim - SK

Grand Analog - Metropolis Is Burning
Pop Recording of the Year
Laurell - Can't Stop Falling - B.C.
Maurice - Young People With Faces - B.C.
Michael Bernard Fitzgerald - The MBF Love LP - AB
Quinzy - Self-Defense - MB
The Latency - The Latency - B.C.

Rap/Hip Hop Recording of the Year
Cityreal - The Beginning - B.C.
Def 3 and Factor – Drumbo - SK
Grand Analog - Metropolis Is Burning - MB
MAGNUM K.I. - MAGNUM K.I. - MB
The Lytics - The Lytics - MB

You Say Party - XXXX
Rock Recording of the Year
Bif Naked - The Promise - B.C.
Said the Whale - Islands Disappear - B.C.
The Dudes - Blood Guts Bruises Cuts - AB
The Weakerthans - Live at the Burton Cummings Theatre - MB
Yukon Blonde - Yukon Blonde - B.C.
You Say Party – XXXX - B.C.

Roots Duo/Group Recording of the Year
Annie Lou - Annie Lou - Y
Carolyn Mark & NQ Arbuckle - Let's Just Stay Here - B.C.
Dustin Bentall - Six Shooter - B.C.
The Sojourners - The Sojourners - B.C.
The Wailin' Jennys - Live at the Mauch Chunk Opera House - MB

Dan Mangan
Roots Solo Recording of the Year
Corb Lund - Losin' Lately Gambler - AB
Dan Mangan - Nice, Nice, Very Nice - B.C.
Del Barber - Where the City Ends - MB
Gordie Tentrees - Mercy or Sin - Y
John Wort Hannam - Queen's Hotel - AB

Songwriter of the Year
Colin James - B.C.
Corb Lund - AB
Dan Mangan - B.C.
Doc Walker (Chris Thorsteinson, Dave Wasyliw, and Murray Pulver) - MB
Dustin Bentall - B.C.
The Weakerthans (John K Samson and The Weakerthans) - MB

Best Album Design of the Year
Brooke Nelson - Where the City Ends (Del Barber)
Craig Medwyduk (Guppy Design ) - In The Lonesome Hours (Oh My Darling)
Michael Carroll and Greg Smith - Live At The Burton Cummings Theatre (The Weakerthans)
Michelle Zieske - Washed Out Roads (Patrick Keenan)
Ron Sawchuk - Live At The Mauch Chunk Opera House (The Wailin' Jennys)
Skylar Challand - Denim on Denim (Library Voices)

Independent Record Label of the Year
Arbor Records - MB
Black Hen Music - B.C.
Mint Records - B.C.
On Ramp Records - SK
Stony Plain Records - AB

The Biltmore Cabaret
Live Music Venue of the Year
Biltmore Cabaret - B.C.
Starlite Room - AB
The Commodore Ballroom - B.C.
The Habitat - B.C.
West End Cultural Centre - MB


For more information on BreakOut West Festival and Conference and The Western Canadian Music Awards including the upcoming announcement of this year’s Festival performers and the performers for The Western Canadian Music Awards please visit: www.breakoutwest.ca

Sunday, August 8, 2010

The Big Time Out Festival in Cumberland, BC to feature major star power


Two heavy-weight acts are landing in Cumberland on August 14 and 15. K’naan and Broken Social Scene are this year’s headliners at The Big Time Out.

Toronto's Broken Social Scene are making Cumberland their only Canadian stop this summer before heading on tour in the US.

Like BSS, Somali-Canadian hip hop artist and poet K’naan has earned a pair of Juno awards and drawn glowing reviews for both his music and his message. With his "Waving Flag" as FIFA’s anthem for the South Africa World Cup, he traveled on an 86-country world tour alongside the biggest sporting event of the world.

For a village of only 2000 people mid-way up an out-of-the-way island, Cumberland’s The Big Time Out draws some serious star power. “We’ve worked hard to create a really special place for artists and music lovers,” says Vig Schulman, the show’s producer. “The word has gotten out among artists, agents and the whole music community that Cumberland is a great place to play, even worth making a big detour from a busy world tour.“


K’naan and Broken Social Scene will be joined by Winter Gloves, Hannah Georgas, Ohbjou, The Acorn and more on August 14 and 15 in Cumberland Village Park. Weekend passes can be purchased at thebigtimeout.com.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

LIVE : Arcade Fire Unstaged

Montreal's Arcade Fire has released a few videos of their secret house shows, interspersed with scenes of the band going around having a jolly ol' time, in the build up of their live Youtube-streamed show at NYC's Madison Square Garden tonight. It will be broadcast on their Youtube channel at 10pm ET / 7pm PT.

Arcade Fire is touring to support their latest release The Suburbs, which was out on August 3.





Wednesday, August 4, 2010

NEW VIDEO : Hawksley Workman - “(The Happiest Day I Know Is A) Tokyo Bicycle”

The always eclectic and creative Hawksley Workman collaborates with Oscar and Genie Award-nominated animator Christopher Hinton to create the video for "(The Happiest Day I Know Is A) Tokyo Bicycle." The track is from the album Meat, which was included on the 2010 Polaris Long List. His new album, Milk, is set for release on August 10, 2010.