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Canadian Music Week

Toronto / CMW

Ah, Canadian Music Week. It’s my third time visiting you in four years, and you’re usually alright.

Live at Mitzi's Sister for CMW - photo by Shannon Lepere (www.shannonlepere.com)

This time was different though, as I had a showcase at Mitzi’s Sister on Queen St West. Not just west, but WAY West. Near the end, West. Very far away from all the other venues, which was a bit concerning, seeing as it was a very similar situation to what happened when I played at NXNE in 2008. With that being said, there was still a pretty decent crowd that made it out that Thursday, despite the fact that a huge list of great bands were playing elsewhere.

The lineup at Mitzi’s was solid though; Kalle Mattson from Ottawa (originally Sault Ste Marie), The Folk from Toronto (originally Guelph), and Laganza from Toronto).

Live at Mitzi's Sister for CMW - photo by Shannon Lepere (www.shannonlepere.com)

Over the next few days I did check out some other acts though, including Lifestory: Monologue. There was also an Australian showcase/BBQ at the Horseshoe in the afternoon which filled my day schedule and my belly.

I also went to the conferences and ended up gaining the most from this trip than any of the previous ones. Possibly because I actually know quite a few people that come there year after year, and that networking does seem to be paying off, slowly but surely! I also saw some cool bands I’ve never been able to see before, doing acoustic sets, including Michou and Hollerado.

Kitchener / Oshawa

Kitchener has usually been a gamble. In my other touring experiences, it was always rough, having spent a fair number of nights at the Circus Room (what a dive). This time though, I was at the Little Bean Coffee Bar, and it had a great little stage and a great sounding room for an act of my size. The people that showed up also stayed for the entire show (close to 2 hours), and we stoked about it, that we ended up chatting for almost an hour after that! Not to worry, I’ll be back, Kitchener. But now, it’s time for Oshawa.

Live at the Little Bean Coffee Bar - photo by Shannon Lepere (www.shannonlepere.com)

I’ve never been to Oshawa, so this was as much of an adventure as we could get in southern Ontario. We showed up quite early, and literally sat at a Starbucks for a few hours. I was busy working on some composition works for Apple Wagon Films (maybe I’ll post samples of the music at some point – if not, there should be a demo reel eventually), while Shannon disappeared to find a bank, driving halfway across town only to realize when she returned that there was in fact one rig beside Starbucks!

Live at Durham College - photo by Shannon Lepere (www.shannonlepere.com)

We arrived at the Durham college cafeteria for the show, and it’s pretty neat, because the students in the music business program have to run events throughout the year. This was an ‘acoustic night’, and it showcased a lot of the talent that many of the students possess as artists not just future members of the music industry.

Braeden Mitchell live at Durham College - photo by Shannon Lepere (www.shannonlepere.com)

Another cool thing about their program is that they have to volunteer at Canadian Music Week, but not just at a booth at the conferences; as stage managers at some of the venues. It was pretty neat seeing all those same kids two days later in Toronto!

Big news!

If you’ve been following my facebook/twitter/etc accounts, you’ll know that I’ve been talking about announcing some big news for a while.

Well, I can finally announce it! But, since so much time has passed, there are now 4 things to announce:

1. ‘Pitch Pipes’ EP Release Party at The Study on February 11th, it’s coming up fast.
Facebook event link here.

2. Teaser video for the ‘Pitch Pipes’ EP is now up, watch the creative process of the album artwork!

3. Canadian Music Fest in Toronto (Moose FM showcase) confirmed at Mitzi’s Sister on March 10th, midnight!
All wristbands will be accepted, but there’s more info on their website.

And last but not least…

4. Opening for the Goo Goo Dolls at the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium on February 22nd. Amazing!

Tour dates and more will be coming soon.