MUSIC | Canadian Music Week 2015 Headliners Announced

FYI Canadian music lovers: CMW 2015 headliners announced!

For more info: http://cmw.net/music/

- Christina

Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28

UPCOMING | Music Festivals 2014

With so many awesome music festivals coming up this summer, I thought I'd put them together here for your music festival-planning needs.....start saving up now!

www.coachella.com

More T. Mills Video Clips!

Hey everyone! 

Last month I posted up my article from my T. Mills interview (http://christinadun.blogspot.ca/2012/04/cmw-t-mills.html) so I thought I'd post a couple more video clips from my interview! Enjoy :) Sorry for the audio quality though...didn't have a mic.

T. Mills talks about who he'd love to collaborate and about today's music industry:

T. Mills on what he's been working on and the importance of social media:

Have a great week!

- Christina

Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28

New Faze Articles - Scotty James & Fiction in Motion

My articles featuring Scotty James and Fiction in Motion for Faze Magazine have been posted, so I thought I'd share! If you click on the screen shots below, it will take you to the website :)

Thanks for checking it out!

- Christina

Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28

CMW: Hilltop Hoods

I’ve really started getting into the whole Australian music scene and have been checking out a lot of the artists and finding awesome new music! During CMW, I had the opportunity to meet up with the guys of Hilltop Hoods, an incredibly popular hip hop trio from Adelaide. They were playing at The Opera House on March 22 and were glad to be back in Toronto.

“The first time we played in Canada was in Canadian Music Week, 5-6 years ago. Before that, we played in Whistler, which doesn’t really count as playing in Canada - that counts as playing a territory of Australia within Canada because there are a lot of us there,” says MC Suffer. “So yeah we look forward to coming back because our first experience in Toronto was so awesome.”

“Every time we’ve come it’s been snowing, so this time it’s nice to see the concrete,” says DJ Debris.

The last time they were in town was back in February 2010, but they’ve also travelled all across Canada - touring with Canadian rapper Classified.

Made up of MCs Suffer and Pressure, along with DJ Debris, the guys have gained popularity over the years worldwide and this year, their newest record, Drinking from the Sun, even bumped Adele’s 21 from the #1 spot on the Australian top albums chart.

The album took a lot of time and effort and was in the works for three years, but was worth it in the end.

“We always take our time with our music,” says Suffer. “We made over 300 beats for the record and ended up choosing around six.”

And other than working on the album, the Hilltop Hoods have their own record label, Golden Era Records, representing up-and-coming Australian talent. They also released a zombie DVD, which was shot at an old jail, supposedly the most haunted place in Adelaide.

Q: So how has your sound changed over the years?

Suffer: We’ve hit our thirties now and I guess it’s different music to what we made before. And about 10 years ago, I think it’s matured a little since then. Hopefully we’ve gotten better with our sound and the way we craft it. With more experience and that sort of thing, I think it reflects in our music.

Q: How has Australia influenced you as artists?

Suffer: With hip hop, it definitely gives us a different perspective. We’re white kids from the ‘burbs and I think our music reflects that, it doesn’t try to be anything else. So from a hip hop point of view, that’s definitely what separates us in a way.

Q: What’s the hip hop scene like over there?

DJ Debris: It’s huge and it’s growing. Every year it’s getting bigger and bigger. The national radio is taking it on board and playing it more and more. And all the festivals want to headline hip hop acts on the main stage, so it’s great.

They’ve definitely gained recognition and fans throughout the world, even telling me about fans that have gotten Hilltop Hoods inspired tattoos. For the rest of this year, they have a lot of upcoming shows and will be touring non-stop. To get more info on Hilltop Hoods, check out their website.

Here is one of their favourite songs to perform, “Rattling the Keys to the Kingdom”

And check out their awesome music video for "I Love It" ft. Sia

- Christina

Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28

CMW: T. Mills

During CMW, I also got the chance to interview T. Mills and write an article for Faze Magazine. Click the screenshot of it below and it'll take you to the article:

He is such a cool guy. I got to chat with him before his performance on New.Music.Live.

So near the end of my interview, I also did some quick-fire questions -- here are his answers:

Describe your perfect meal: "Spicy chicken sandwich with bacon, no tomatoes, and avocado. And pepper jack cheese."

Best birthday present ever received? "MacBook Pro."

First thing you notice in a girl? "Teeth."

If you could have any superpower? "Flight or invisibility."

Favourite tattoo? "My knuckles; they say patience."

If you could design your own pair of Vans, what would they look like? "Gold, solid gold, if that’s possible."

And click the video below to see his go-to dance move:

T. Mills is going to be busy with touring this year as well as releasing more videos to YouTube, so stay up to date with his crazy life through Twitter @ilovetmills and Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/ilovetmills)

- Christina

Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28

CMW: Kira Isabella

Another article I wrote for Faze featured Ottawa country singer Kira Isabella. Click the screenshot below to read the article :)

Check out her music video for her hit "Love Me Like That"

She's such a sweetheart and a huge congrats goes out to her for winning her first Canadian Radio Music award!

- Christina

Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28

CMW: Scotty James

From knocking on doors with a guitar in hand to gaining more than 14,000 Facebook fans, singer-songwriter Scotty James has come a long way. Originally from Waterloo, Ontario, as a desperate search to start his career, he played songs for people on their front porches. And besides occasionally getting invites to pool parties and steak dinners, he eventually knocked on the door of his future manager. Since then, James has been able to perform his original songs across Ontario, finding his way to this year’s Canadian Music Week.

This was his first year showcasing and he got to perform two shows, both at The Hideout out on Queen West. He thought it was an awesome venue, full of energy and great support, and he was looking forward to meeting and performing in front of new people.

Describing his sound as a more upbeat John Mayer, his catchy songs are gaining popularity on radio stations and YouTube. His summertime feel song “Wanna Be Loved” has been a hit on YouTube and he has a new single coming out called “Never.”

He is currently working on a new album and planning shows for the summer, while also hoping to branch out to the U.S. You can check out more of his music on his website: http://scottyjamesmusic.com/.

*Article will be posted on faze.ca soon!

- Christina

Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28

CMW: Fiction in Motion

Hailing from Quebec City, these four guys came to Toronto for Canadian Music Week to rock out with their fans, enjoy the festivities, and simply have a good time. Fiction in Motion performed at the Neutral Lounge on March 21^st and they did just that.

Made up of Michael (lead singer and guitar), Mark (guitar), Jonathan (drums), and Eric (bass), the band was created back in 2007. Since then, they’ve come out with hits such as “Don’t Leave Me Behind” and “Do You Care”. It’s been an interesting journey for the guys, which started after winning first place at “The Most Beautiful Rock of Quebec,” a well-known music competition in Quebec.

They describe their sound as “velvet rock, a kind of soft rock” and they are glad to be a part of CMW this year. The most difficult part of breaking into the industry for them is being an English-speaking band in a predominantly French-speaking city.

“It’s really hard for us,” says the band, “so we have to really think about doing our thing in Quebec but also try to show it to the rest of the world.”

Earlier this month, they just released a new music video on YouTube for “Today” and it’s gotten great feedback so far! If you want to see more of Fiction in Motion, find them on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/fictioninmotionofficial), YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/fictioninmotion) and Twitter (@fictioninmotion).

*The article will be posted onto faze.ca soon!

- Christina

Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28

CMW: David Blair

Who would have thought that one day I’d be watching David Blair’s “We Are Canucks” YouTube video and later that same day I would be in the same Toronto subway car as the Vancouver musician. Talk about serendipity.

Coming to Toronto for his seventh year attending Canadian Music Week, he was excited to be a part of it once again. He performed at the Library Bar on March 21 and it was his second year showcasing. We chatted about his CMW experience and he gave insight into his music career journey.

He committed to music in 2006 and has been performing original music and entertaining people since then. And being classically trained in piano since the age of three, Blair's music has evolved into indie-pop. He describes it as "Jason Mraz meets Maroon 5."

His album, Things Left Unsaid, was released in 2009 and he has been working on more music and travelling for shows across North America.

Blair even made it onto this year's Canada's Got Talent in the audition round, but unfortunately his tape was not shown on television (he did get some exclusive footage from his experience that he'll be posting eventually!). So why did he try out for the show?

"The only purpose of a musician is to share their music. When we spend time and effort to write something we want people to hear and want to share - our thoughts and feelings we hope connect to people - the one thing we all want more than anything else is a connection to as many fans as possible, as many people as possible."

And not only is Blair a musician, but he also an active athlete, not a combination that you come across often. He was always into sports in high school and now participates in triathlons.

In the meantime, he will continue writing songs, producing YouTube videos, and performing shows. Be sure to check out his website!

Here is his infamous "We Are Canucks" video I mentioned earlier:

Also check out his most recent video:

- Christina

Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28

CMW: Chad Price

London musician Chad Price was not always on the path towards the life of a singer-songwriter. After completing a degree at Brock University, his hobby of playing guitar at the age of nine years old, turned into a passion that he had to pursue.

His music is a blend of different styles, from R&B/soul to pop-rock and even a bit of country. He compares his sound to the likes of Jason Mraz, John Meyer, and John Legend.

His debut album, In This Dream, was just released in earlier this year, and is the product of a lot of hard work and determination. He was fortunate enough to get to work with producer Bill Bell, who has worked with numerous music talents including Jason Mraz, Justin Nozuka, and Tom Cochrane.

“I took my demo to Bill Bell, my first choice producer, and I did not expect him to say that he loved my stuff. But as soon as I sent it to him, he replied the next day and was like ‘come to Toronto, I love it, let’s get an album done.’ So I was sort of pinching myself that my first-choice producer said yes.”

Half of it was recorded at Orange Lounge Studio in Toronto, but Bell later moved down to LA, so Price flew out there to finish the rest. And it turned out great.

This year, he returned to Canadian Music Week for a showcase at Czehoski on March 24. As his second time as a part of CMW, he came with more experience and felt more comfortable this time around.

And as a Canadian artist, he is proud of where Canada stands in the music industry.

“There are so many great bands coming out of Canada that are blowing up on an international scene and I think that we’re in a good spot right now musically globally, there’s a lot of great musicians coming out of here and I hope to be a part of that.”

He is currently planning a spring/summer tour, so be sure to stay updated by checking out his website!

Here is his latest single, “Another Day”

- Christina

Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28

CMW: Final Thought

Toronto-based band Final Thought made its appearance for the first time at CMW this year and I interviewed the band’s frontman Dustin Dopsa. He describes their music as “pop-rock that punches you in the f*ckin teeth.”

Dopsa, along with band mates Brandon Hawthorne (bass) and Tom Watson (drums), have been together as a band for around three years now and are going strong. After releasing a full length album back in November, titled What We Need, the guys have been performing in shows across Canada, trying to get their music heard.

They had actually planned on performing in last year’s CMW, but it didn’t quite work out.

“We’ve tried a couple times. Last year we had a showcase and were pretty much ready to go with it, but a couple of technical things didn’t work out, so yeah we’ve been trying for a couple of years,” said Dopsa. “So it’s exciting to finally be a part of it because it’s the biggest thing Toronto has for music other than North by Northeast (NXNE). We’re definitely stoked to be on the long list of bands that are here this week.”

Dopsa, currently a Ryerson student, told me about his song-writing process and how the city influences their music.

“I was living in Pitman [residence] last year at Ryerson, and there was a music room with a piano, so I would spend a lot of time in there, since I didn’t bring my instruments with me. And I ended up doing a lot of song-writing in there. A couple of the songs that made it onto the album were actually written in there, so I guess the city does influence my music a lot.”

Dopsa even described one of his most monumental experiences: playing a private showcase for legendary Gene Simmons. He gave them great advice that would set in later as the band continued growing. Since then, they’ve been working on more music and videos.

Check out their video for “Tell All Your Friends”

If you want to hear more from Final Thought, check out their website and follow them on Twitter (@final_thought)

- Christina

Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28

CMW: Sidney York

If someone asked you to differentiate between an oboe and a bassoon, would you know which is which? Well, Calgary-based band Sidney York hopes that you do after seeing them perform.

Sidney York came to Toronto during CMW to showcase and they were excited to get to experience it for the first time as a group. The trio of classically-trained musicians, Brandi Sidoryk (lead vocalist, keyboards), Krista Wodelet (backup vocals, bassoon) and Sheryl Reinhardt (backup vocals, oboe), has been performing all across Canada and their unique instrumentation sets them apart from your typical pop band.

What also sets them apart is the amount of education and experience they’ve gained over the years. Sidoryk has a master’s degree in opera, Wodelet has a master’s degree in classical bassoon, and Reinhardt not only has a bachelor’s degree in oboe but is also a music teacher.

The three of them are “classical musicians who are in love with indie music," Sidoryk explains. "We like to break that super rigid classical mold and have a little bit of fun on stage."

“We’re way too educated,” says Wodelet jokingly.

“We’re like those Catholic school girls who leave home for the first time who do everything they’re not supposed to do. That’s us on stage. We’re jumping around and we’re like we’re never allowed to jump around when we’re playing classical music!” says Sidoryk. “So it’s nice for us and it’s a really fun outlet for us and as a way for us to fuse our two worlds.”

Although they are originally from Calgary, the group is split apart for most of the time; with Wodelet living in Toronto, Reinhardt in Calgary and Sidoryk mainly in Vancouver (however, they have connections at WestJet, so they travel a lot!).

But from my interview with the girls, their chemistry together is undeniable.

Q: Being from Alberta, how has that influenced you as musicians?

Brandi: The Alberta music scene is a bit fresher and younger, relative to the rest of Canada. It’s more of a budding scene and there is still a lot of room for growth. But I think that’s really helped us in a way. The scene is small and you get to know everybody. We have the benefits of travelling elsewhere and spreading the Alberta music scene farther than just Alberta. And I think that’s starting to happen with a lot of Alberta musicians.

Q: What do you want your audience to walk away with after seeing you perform?

Sheryl: Hopefully they’ve had a really great time. And hopefully they’ll remember something from the performance, a memory of a moment or a song that really spoke to them and connected with them.

Brandi: We want them to leave having a good time. And knowing that we are serious musicians, we always have been, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously. And that’s pretty obvious on stage, we love to have fun. And we want our audience to have fun with us, not just in front of us, but with us. Our fans are our friends too. As soon as someone becomes our fan, they are now our friend. So that’s really important to us. Oh and we also want them to know the names of an oboe and a bassoon.

Krista: I always hope they’re inspired by the sounds we make. We always get some weird looks when we’re setting up our instruments. So we hope that after our show people come away thinking that was really cool and these instruments really do have a place in pop music!

Q: Who are some of your musical inspirations?

Brandi: We’re very influenced by our Canadian contemporaries in this industry. I feel like our peers influence us a lot and people that we admire in Canadian music. We listen to a lot of Canadian music and we’re proud of it. We love Feist. We love Metric. We love Mother Mother, they’re friends of ours and we love their music. Those are all bands that we respect in this industry and we love their music.

Check out "Dick and Jane" - one my favourite songs from Sidney York!

For the rest of the summer, Sidney York will be doing the festival circuit and working on more music, so be sure to follow them on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/SidneyYork) and Twitter (@SidneyYork)!

And here's their most recent music video for "Cold in Here" off the album Apocalyptic Radio Cynic:

- Christina

Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28

CMW: Direct Influence

If someone asked me to go to Australia, I would be eager to see kangaroos and learn how to surf. So what was Melbourne-based band Direct Influence most excited about for their visit to Canada? Poutine.

And they got to try it on the first day they got to Toronto -- and loved it. They had some time to explore the city before their gigs as a part of Canadian Music Week.

Direct Influence, made up of Dylan Smith, Marcus Ross, Shane Evans, Simon Rabl, and Mikey Chan (I only interviewed Dylan, Marcus, and Shane), is a group that describes their sound as “neo-roots -- a mix of hip hop, pop, electro, and reggae.” And coming from Melbourne, Australia’s music capital, they have been performing throughout the country at fantastic venues and in front of huge crowds. One of their biggest shows was Rhythm & Vines Festival, in New Zealand, where they shared the main stage with artists such as Justice and N.E.R.D.

Their favourite city to perform in though, is the famous Byron Bay. Known for its surfer town atmosphere and awesome music scene, it’s a popular spot for artists -- “and it’s full of hippies and backpackers.”

Q: So why did you guys choose to come be a part of Canadian Music Week this year?

Marcus: We’ve been playing for crowds in Australia for quite a while now and we’ve played to a lot of back packing crowds. We’ve done a lot of touring in backpacking areas and we seem to resonate really well with the international crowd. So we would love to get on the world stage and do the festival circuit all around the world because we ultimately are a festival band for people to drink and have an awesome time.

Dylan: Also, to experience Canada, we’ve always wanted to come to North America. Even though we’re very similar, there are still things that are very different between our countries. Toronto seems to be a bit like Melbourne as well, like the layout and public transportation.

Q: What sets you apart from other music groups?

Dylan: I suppose the fusion thing - there’s so much that we play in a show. There’s electronic, hip hop, reggae, all mashed together. It’s our unique sound that we created. And it’s a very energetic show, we always walk away from our show like “wow, that was intense” and we’re sweaty and hot and there was dancing, it’s awesome.

Marcus: Yeah, It’s that energy and the genre-mashing. We may not even necessarily look the part of the music we’re playing. But it’s not about looking the part. There are a lot of bands now that play a song and they look the part, so that’s probably what sets us apart.

Q: What’s up next for you?

Dylan: We’ve got a couple festivals back in Australia for April and we’re releasing our next single in May. And then June/July we’ll be doing a national tour to promote the singles and hopefully Europe near the end of the year. So it’s a big year for us.

Check out their latest single, Far East:

Their last album was released back in late 2010 and they’re hoping to get another one out near the end of this year.

If you want to hear more from Direct Influence, be sure to check out their website!

- Christina

Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28

CMW: Emma-Lee

If you saw a hitch hiker downtown holding a sign that said “Song for a ride?” would you pick them up? Well, some curious Torontonians stopped for singer-songwriter Emma-Lee, who offered to sing a song for a ride around the city to document for a series of YouTube videos called the Backseat Sessions.

Originally from Toronto, Emma-Lee has experimented in different music styles, from electronic house and pop to R&B and jazz. Her most current sound has become more “rock/pop with a bit of country.” She just released her newest album Backseat Heroine in February.

I caught up with Emma-Lee during Canadian Music Week, where she was showcasing at The Drake Underground on March 23.

Q: How has Toronto influenced you as a musician?

A: I feel like there’s a really strong sense of community here, with other artists. A lot of people think Toronto is a really hard city to break into and I guess it could be if you take on the outlook that everyone is your competition, but I think if you go more with 'let’s band together and help each other,' it’s a more positive experience. So I went that way. I supported other people and they supported me, so that helped us all grow at the same time. So I think having a strong community around me has really helped me get to where I am.

Q: What was the response to the release of Backseat Heroine?

A: It’s been great - people really seem to like it. We’re getting really great response playing the songs live. Because of the way it’s recorded on the album, it’s all just real people and real instruments, and not a lot of editing, so it’s just the way we sound. I think it’s nice for people who hear the album to then go to a show and be like wow, it sounds like the CD. So I guess it depends what approach you take, but I’ve really enjoyed just being real with it.

Q: What have you been working on since then?

A: I do a lot of song-writing all the time, so I’m starting to figure out what I want to do next. Other than that, I do writing for other artists too. I’ll get together with different people who are working on their records so I do a lot of that when I’m not doing my own thing. I also do photography, so I do promo photos for other musicians and stuff like that.

Q: How would you describe your song-writing process?

A: It really varies. Sometimes it’s just me hanging out with my guitar. I usually write music first and then start singing some type of melody and then I’ll fit words into the melody. So for me, the melody is the most important thing. And if I find one that I really like, I find words that have the amount of syllables that fit perfectly like a little puzzle.

Q: What’s the hardest part about being a Canadian musician?

A: The hardest part is the fact that our cities are spread out really far apart and when you tour, it’s probably around nine hours between every show. It’s very taxing on your body. It’s a lot of time that you spend in a car or a van.

Emma-Lee will be heading out to LA for the first time in May and will continue writing songs. She will also be releasing some new videos on YouTube so keep an eye out! Until then, check out one of her favourite tracks to perform, Figure It Out, which was just released last week (she describes it as “Glee meets the grocery store.” Enjoy!

Be sure to check out her website (http://emma-lee.com/) and follow her on Twitter (@emmadashlee)

- Christina

Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28

Indie Awards 2012 Pt.7 - Passion Pit

And the final performance of the night was from Passion Pit, a band from Boston, MA. They were pretty amazing live! If you haven't heard of them before, check out the video below of one of their songs:

They're so awesome!

And that's all for my Indie Awards blog posts! Next up: More artist/band interviews and even a sneak peak of a covershoot with Marianas Trench. Stay tuned.

- Christina

Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28

Indie Awards 2012 Pt.6 - Rich Aucoin

Rich Aucoin sure knows how to get a crowd going. From adrenaline-pumping remixes to crowd-surfing, his performance was definitely my favourite part of The Indies. Not only did he incorporate the famous Bed Intruder and Double Rainbow Youtube videos into his set, but he also brought out one of those giant rainbow-coloured parachute things we all used to play with in elementary school. Definitely check out his music if you haven't already!

- Christina

Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28