May 2012

Bryan Adams ....... Still Wakin' Up the Neighbours!

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 05/11/2012 - 11:13
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Story:  Don Graham

Canadian icon Bryan Adams hit the Air Canada Centre stage in Toronto as part of his 20 cities, 20 shows , 20 years tour on May 3, 2012, to a sold out crowd of adoring fans.

This is the first time in 20 years that Bryan Adams has toured his home and native land from coast to coast and it was obvious from his performance that he hasn't lost a step delivering his raspy, gutsy vocals in the same keys as he recorded them all those years ago. Adams is still playing the searing guitar solos that carried him to the top of his craft.

The 30 song set was an awesome reminder of just how many hits this guy had. The minute he strolled out onto the massive ACC stage the crowd belonged to him and he didn't disappoint. How rewarding for him to play to 20,000 folks who knew every word, every note of every song he played. Especially when he pointed out " I remember playing on Yonge Street in Toronto when the bouncer would walk me from the so-called "dressing room" to the stage where I would play for three people!"

Ryan Laird to play with Emerson Drive

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 05/11/2012 - 11:16
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Submitted by Cashbox Canada

While he's no stranger to Fort McMurray (Ryan Laird played The Summer's End Festival with Dierks Bentley last September) up and coming country sensation Ryan Laird said he's excited to revisit the Oilsands City as the special guest opening act for Emerson Drive's show Friday at the Casman Centre.

"We saw a bear just as we were driving in last year onto the festival site to do the show," said Laird from his home base in Ontario. "For us it was a big deal. It was pretty cool, just on the side of the road there. Just being so far north is really fun, but I really hope we get to see a bear again before this show."

At 19, Laird moved from his hometown of Fergus, Ont., to see if he could make a name for himself in North America's country music capital, Nashville, Tenn. He said he fell in love with the songwriting community in the Music City, appreciating the number of like-minded, talented people.

Prepared for the slow process of breaking into the already bulging music scene, Laird said he knew it was important to make sure his sound was solid before drawing the attention of any major labels. And it paid off, because somewhere along the line, between crashing on friends' couches and buying up ad space on a billboard asking Taylor Swift to produce his album, people started to take notice.

“Legends In Little Rooms” Guitar Series with Jorge Matinez

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 05/11/2012 - 11:18
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Submitted by Cashbox Canada

“Legends In Little Rooms” Guitar Series with Jorge Matinez is a series that introduces Canada’s own Jorge Martinez with very special guest Oscar Lopez.

Jorge Martinez has but one mission at his fingertips: to carry us away, namely to his native Argentina. With remarkable virtuosity, he composes and performs Flamenco-inspired music with Latin and Oriental accents. But be warned: the man plays faster than the speed of light! When he flies off on magical solos, Jorge never does so alone – he takes us with him.

Jorge is already highly regarded in his adopted home – the province of Quebec,  but not yet as well-known in the rest of Canada and, to that end he and his stellar band, along with very special guest, Oscar Lopez will appear in concert in three of southern Ontario’s best venues.

Jorge Martinez closes out this first season of the “Legends in Little Rooms” Southern Ontario tours that saw truly amazing concerts from internationally renowned artists, Strunz & Farah and Ottmar Liebert in March and April.  Now it’s Jorge’s turn.

He relocated from Argentina to Montreal some ten years ago, and with cross-Canada performances tucked under his belt, he is poised to take off once again. Jorge, last summer, fulfilled one of his greatest dreams when he was invited to open the Paco de Lucia concert in Winnipeg.  The year before, he was honoured to share the stage with the legendary Cesaria Evora. He opened for her at one of her last concerts in a packed Place des Arts.

Friends of Margaret Dinsdale Sugar Moon Music Rally in Music

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 05/11/2012 - 11:30
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Submitted by Don Graham


I sometimes think working musicians are the richest people on the planet! The banks may not agree, but what they lack in money they make up for ten fold in caring and compassion. Never is this more evident than when a member of the musical community is in distress.


Such was the case on Sunday May 6th at the famous Cadillac Lounge in Toronto. Around Christmas time of last year Margaret Dinsdale, the founder of Sugar Moon Music, wasn't feeling well and went to the hospital to get checked out. She was told it was only dehydration and was sent home. Turned out she had contracted the C. Difficile, an infection that has a 60% fatality rate. Margaret is a fighter and isn't going anywhere anytime time soon, but the disease has left her a bad way, financially and physically, to say the least and she now faces a month of rehab to learn to walk again and get her strength back. Because she is an independent ( in more ways than one) music industry professional, her business depends directly on her. No work, no funds, and she has been unable to work for a few months so a little help is needed to get her back on track.


Gord Cumming and Lyric DubeeGord Cumming and Lyric Dubee

S.C.E.N.E. Music Festival, St. Catharines, Ontario

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 05/11/2012 - 11:44
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Submitted by Cashbox Canada

S.C.E.N.E. Music Festival first started in 1996 and had a captive audience of about 800 attendees, by 2005 the event was officially recognized and received cooperate sponsorship including MTV Canada in 2007 and the numbers grew into the thousands. Today celebrating its 16th year S.C.E.N.E. which stands for" St. Catharines Event for New Music Entertainment" is one of the largest annual, one-day, all-ages music festivals in Canada, and a premiere destination for showcasing new independent music.  Attracting over 6,000+ fans last year to the streets of downtown St. Catharines each year, S.C.E.N.E. is a hotbed for up-and-coming musical talent of all genres, featuring both Canadian and international talent.

The event is host to thousands of Music fans, hundreds of artists on multiple stages and venues all within a short walking distance of each other. The Marketplace will be "the place to be", to get band merchandise, unique vendors, sponsors booths and interactive entertainment for the whole family. The Marketplace Pavilion is located in the heart of downtown St Catherines and is the main admission area and outdoor stage.