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