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NXNE is almost upon us
Has it been 10 years? Geez, how much, and yet, how little,
has changed since then. Last year, when Shred was still in
the planning stages, I splurged on a delegate pass to the
conference, and found it vaguely interesting. Years ago, I
was on a panel at a music conference on the west coast, Music
West, and found it much more cohesive between different segments
of the industry (radio, management, Internet, etc). By contrast,
many of the people who attended NXNE were newcomers trying
to learn or bands trying to get attention, all of which is
good. Just don't expect the head of Warner to come check out
your band on a whim.
If you're in a band in this festival, it's great to hookup
with industry people who are probably in the same position
you are, that is, looking to get a foothold in the industry.
If you're into music, NXNE is one of the best programmed new
music festivals in North America, behind only CMJ and SXSW.
Stay tuned for a NXNE preview in the next week or so.
Related:
- NXNE
- North by Northeast
Ray Condo memorials planned
The Canadian music world was saddened when Ray Condo, a mainstay
of the country's rockabilly scene, died of a heart attack
in Vancouver at the age of 53. There are a number of memorials
planned in addition to the one in Vancouver on May 16, a day
the city designated "Ray Condo Day". There will
be a memorial concert on June 27 at the Horseshoe in Toronto,
and many more as the summer progresses.
Related:
Trigger Happy Cancellation Clarified
Ok, so it wasn't medical reasons. According to a posting
on the Almight Trigger Happy's Web site, the reason they ended
up not supporting Ten Foot Pole on their European tour was
money:
ATH are not on tour with our good old/new friends
TEN FOOT POLE... well the main reason(s) was ... we couldn't
afford it. the label tried to help as much as they could...
we would never blame or condemn BAD TASTE RECORDS for not
supporting their bands.. but it was just not gonna happen....
regardless of what you have been told or whatever rumors you
have heard (shit I wish some of them were true.. more fun
than all us with no money).
Hopefully, you'll see a story on the band on this site soon.
Trigger Happy cancels European tour
The Almighty Trigger Happy has cancelled its European
tour with Ten Foot Pole, citing unidentified medical reasons,
according to a posting by Ten Foot Pole on their Yahoo Group.
Related:
Young and Sexy on tour
Mint Records reports that Young and sexy will be
playing a bunch of dates in Canada and the US in support of
their new sophomore release, Life Through One Speaker.
The band is also part of CBC Radio 3's traveling music,
photography and
multimedia show, which will hit 10 cities across the country
starting on April 23 in Vancouver and ending in Halifax on
May 19.
Related:
Previously
NXNE is showcasing Canadian talent at the SXSW festival
in Austin, TX
Toronto-based NXNE is bringing some of Canada's most
promising bands to the SXSW festival in Austin,
TX on March 18. The band's playing are: Death From Above,
Metric, Sam Roberts, and All Systems Go, and The Salads.
Related:
- NXNE
- North by Northeast
- SXSW
- South by Southwest
Jade Tree signs Regina band
In what Jade Tree calls its "first international signing",
the Delaware-based label has added Regina, SK's Despistado
to its roster. They plan on releasing their EP, The Emergency
Response, on June 25 before hopping in to the studio
with producer Phil Ek (Pretty Girls Make Graves, Modest Mouse)
to record their first full-length, which is due for release
this fall.
Related:
Canadian Music Week is rapidly approaching
In a few weeks, the music industry will
descend on Toronto for Canadian Music Week, the annual schmooze
fest that showcases new Canadians bands looking to catch the
attention of those who can take them to the next rung of their
career, whatever that may be. This year's line-up is a little
shorter on big names, the biggest acts being artists like
Alexisonfire, The Sadies, The Smugglers and Oh Susanna. This
is a great thing for Canadian music; without having to compete
with more established artists there's more space for the younger
artists to shine. Watch for a preview of the festival in this
space in the next week or so.
Related Link:
Singer too Trigger Happy for the Downbelows
Al Nolan is no longer the singer for Downbelows, according
to a posting on the band's Web site. The band released a statement
saying that "In the end, it was all about 4 guys wanting
something and one guy wanting something else." They plan
to continue as a four piece until a new singer can be found.
As for Nolan, he has been working with the newly reformed
Almighty Trigger Happy, and plan on re-releasing their last
CD in the coming months and are supporting Ten Foot Pole on
their European tour this April.
Followup
Meat Puppets' Kirkwood charged in
altercation; being held in detention
As a follow up to the blurb below regarding the shooting
of Cris Kirkwood, former bassist of the Meat Puppets. After
the shooting, doctors found a bullet near his spine and decided
it was safer to leave it there. To make matters worse, Kirkwood
is on a methadone program to kick heroin. The judge in the
case cited this and his prior drug convictions in his decision
to hold him without bail. According to the Arizona Republic,
he was sent off to jail crying in pain and vomiting from methadone
withdrawal.
The case takes even a sadder turn with accusations that his
gunshot wounds aren't being properly dressed while in custody,
and that his methadone (which had been legally prescribed)
was cut off and he is suffering withdrawal sickness.
It's the kind of story where I'm sure Kirkwood thinks he
should have turned left when he turned right that day, if
you know what I mean.
We'll keep following this case and let you know how things
shake out.
Related:
___
Ex-Meat Puppets bassist shot
According to a story in the Arizona
Republic, former Meat Puppets bassist Cris Kirkwood was shot
by a security guard over a dispute over a parking space in
downtown Phoenix on December 27. Authorities allege that Kirkwood,
angry when another motorist, 32-year-old Jenny Horn, pulled
into the parking space he was trying to back in to, followed
the woman into a nearby Post Office, where he got into an
altercation with the guard. Kirkwood was taken to hospital
with a gunshot to the abdomen. He's expected to recover.
Click
here for the whole ridiculous story
Annoyed by the shuttering of
MP3.com?
There are a couple of alternatives for
you to check out online music for free and legally and for
bands to upload their tunes in much the same way that MP3.com
did:
Important dates for bands
If you haven't gotten your demo in for
Canadian Music
Week, then it appears you're out of luck. But here are
some other important dates you should be aware of:
Older News
Forgotten Rebels lose longtime
drummer; replaced by former Doughboy
Longtime drummer Dave McGhire has left
the Forgotten Rebels after 22 years with the band. According
to a statement released by McGhire, the split was due to the
fact that he is "no longer willing to work hard behind
the scenes for the benefit of other members that do not have
any appreciation for the work being done. I am greatly saddened
by having to take this step as the Rebels were a BIG part
of my life's work. But in the end, a band is like a family
and differences in opinion do happen and some are irreconcilable."
McGhire was replaced by Paul Newman,
former drummer for the Doughboys and who had been working
as a roadie in the past few years.
Related link:
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