April 2011

Andrea Ramolo-Not your Janis Joplin clone

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 04/15/2011 - 11:57

Story:Lenny Stoute

Barrelling along the 401, having blown away Montreal the night before and on the way to do it again in Ottawa, is the perfect way to meet Andrea Ramolo. The fast-rising singer plays better than 200 shows a year all across our fair land, earning her the tag “tireless road warrior”

The current 26-city jaunt is in support of second album 'The Shadows and the Cracks', which marks something of a departure for Ramolo. The Toronto native broke on the scene with 2008’s ‘Thank You For The Ride’ a sunny-sided collection of folk confections laden with lyrical narrative and introducing us to Ramolo’s rich and supple pipes.

It scored her widespread attention, opened the door to a better level of opening slots, won Best Folk album awards and guest speaker spot at the 2009 Ontario Council of Folk Festivals Conference in Ottawa on how to book your own tour as an indie artist.

“ The first album was totally my baby. It was an outpouring of songs, very organic. A lot of it was live off the floor, recorded in spontaneous bursts and produced by my then-boyfriend. It all worked out and it got me started off.”

Backed by one-man band Jason Skiendziel (upright/electric basses, mandolin, percussion), Ramolo took her show on roads as far away as the Southern U.S, playing the gigs, penning the tunes.

JOHN BOTTOMLEY 1960-2011

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 04/15/2011 - 11:49

Prominent Nineties Alt Rock singer John Bottomley, winner of the 1992 Juno award for most promising male vocalist chose to end this life Wednesday April 6, 2011 near his home in Brackendale, British Columbia. A family spokesperson confirmed that he had recently been suffering from depression.

Bottomley was born in Toronto, Ontario in 1960 into a Canadian Forces family and travelled in various parts of the world, experiencing different cultures and musics at an early age.

Bottomley started as a professional musician with the band Tulpa, made up of his brother Chris Bottomley and Mike Severin. Tulpa were pioneers of Toronto's Queen Street indie-rock scene and were one of the first Canadian bands to regularly play the legendary CBGB's in New York City.

Bottomley launched a solo career in 1990 with the release of the excellent "Library of the Sun" which caught the attention of the mainstream music industry. In 1992 BMG Music Canada released the Juno award-winning album "Songs with the Ornamental Hermits" and the follow-up album "Blackberry" which produced the top ten hit song "You Lose You Gain" and also earned Bottomley a 1996 SOCAN Songwriter Award.

Music Matters

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 04/15/2011 - 11:19

By Bob Segarini

When I was a youngster (8 – 40) I used to be a voracious reader. Starting out with Little Golden Books, the Bobbsey Twins, and the wonderful L. Frank Baum Oz novels, I managed a record setting 200 book reports in the 3^rd grade and won the respect of my teacher, (Mrs. Richardson), and the scorn of my contemporaries (everybody else). I always had my nose in a book, a comic, or a magazine. Of course, that was before my eyesight started to go and 5s became 6s and 3s became 8s…

Around the time I had discovered Elvis Presley, I stumbled across a magazine during a weekly browse through the latest comic book releases at my local newsstand on Pacific Avenue in Stockton, California. Someone had lazily stuck the latest issue of 16 Magazine back in the rack between Detective Comics and Action Comics or I never would have noticed it. Elvis was on the cover, and even though I could have bought 2 and a half comics for the magazine’s cover price, I bought it anyway. Elvis…who wouldn’t?

DONNY PARENTEAU – SCMA’S ABORIGINAL ARTIST OF THE YEAR!

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 04/08/2011 - 12:09

On Sunday, April 3rd, Prince Albert’s Donny Parenteau was awarded ABORIGINAL ARTIST OF THE YEAR for the 8th year running at this years SCMA’s held in Swift Current, Saskatchewan.

The night prior Donny was awarded with the Allstar Band – Specialty Instrument of the Year.

On attending this year’s SCMA’s, Donny had this to say – “It was great to see some familiar faces blended in with the new faces. A couple memorable moments on Sunday was being invited to perform on a song the Premier of Saskatchewan wrote and played guitar on. I played fiddle alongside my friend and bass player Paul Lomheim with Amanda Jane Duncan on vocals – the other moment was performing solo with my acoustic - singing “Play On” from my new album and telling the story behind the song about inheriting my Grandpa Parenteau’s fiddle. I also would like to take this time to acknowledge and thank the SCMA’s for my 11 nominations and Saskatchewan radio for their continued support”.

Donny’s latest single – “My Dirt” from his just released album – and continues to pick up radio play across Canada and around the world.

www.donnyparenteau.com

The Duncan Factor

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 04/08/2011 - 12:15

By Sandy Graham

FACTOR, The Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings, was founded in 1982 by CHUM Limited, Moffat Communications and Rogers Broadcasting Limited, in conjunction with the Canadian Independent Record Producers Association (CIRPA) and the Canadian Music Publishers Association (CMPA). As a private non-profit organization, FACTOR is dedicated to providing assistance toward the growth and development of the Canadian independent recording industry. The foundation administers contributions from sponsoring radio broadcasters as well as two components of the Department of Canadian Heritage’s Canada Music Fund to support the Canadian music industry.

FACTOR has been managing federal funds since the inception of the Sound Recording Development Program in 1986 (now known as the Canada Music Fund Council).
Support is provided to Canadian recording artists, songwriters, managers, labels and distributors through various programs which all aid in the development of the industry. Whether an artist is looking to record a demo, full length sound recording, market and promote an already existing album or showcase and tour domestically and internationally, funding is available. FACTOR supports many facets of the infrastructure which must be in place in order for artists and Canadian labels to progress into the international arena. FACTOR started out with an annual budget of $200,000 and is currently providing in excess of $14 million annually to support the Canadian music industry.