Cover Story

Happy New Year from Cashbox Canada !

Submitted by cashbox on Thu, 12/27/2012 - 19:58

What a year we have had in the music world – we have lost so many of our legacy artists; new ones have arrived on the horizon to carry the torch. Cashbox Canada has kept the doors open and the stories flowing – all with the great devotion of our Cashbox staff and our wonderful supporters and artists who have made it all possible. We are looking forward to 2013 and to providing the best coverage of Canadian talent as well as industry stories that make up the music industry. Happy Hogmanay to you all and “Lang May Your Lum Reek !” - Sandy Graham

As we close off 2012 in true Canadian fashion with a blizzard.…I want to thank everyone who read my articles in Cashbox Canada. A special thanks to those I interviewed for their time and contributions to the industry, to Jill Ash for last minute editing, and to Sandy Graham for always being there with kind words and a real good heart. In 2013, as I continue to write about the music, I will interview more musicians, producers, songwriters and historic music industry figures. It’s all about the music – the people who play it, the people who make it, the people behind it. – Michael Williams

Cashbox Canada’s Christmas Stars 2012

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 12/21/2012 - 11:36

Cashbox Canada has a mandate to cover the legacy artists who have made this industry a success and to give press to the ones who will make it continue to shine brightly with their talent and tunes. This Christmas issue we would like to feature our Cashbox Canada’s Christmas Stars of 2012. We have asked them to share their personal stories with you about their favourite memories of the holiday season.

Cashbox Canada’s Twelve Days of Christmas Rock Videos

Submitted by cashbox on Thu, 12/13/2012 - 23:58

So This is Christmas !

We have all heard all the classic Christmas songs that have stayed popular for decades, and radio stations play them every year. Those classic holiday songs will always be firm favourites, but the last few years have brought about a whole new era of rock artists who have released Christmas songs that are sure to be the next generations classics. This list has some remakes but mostly original songs by our rock artists of today. Enjoy Cashbox Canada’s List of Christmas tunes and videos !

1) Happy Christmas (War is Over)
John Lennon

2) Do They Know It’s Christmas?
Band Aid

3) Santa Baby
Madonna

4) Santa Claus is Coming to Town
Bruce Springsteen

5) All I Want For Christmas is You
Mariah Carey

The Real John McDermott - A Canadian Treasure

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 12/07/2012 - 11:56

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Submitted by Sandy Graham

John McDermott is such an established name, there is no need to describe the talent of this amazing Canadian tenor. But there is so much more to this man, both in song and spirit. The thing that strikes you the most when you speak to him is his passion for life, music, family and tradition.

John Charles McDermott was born in Glasgow, Scotland, but immigrated to Canada with his family in 1965, becoming part of the major diaspora that came from across ‘the pond’ to settle here for a better life. Like most Scottish/Irish families, he learned his love of music with the Saturday night sing-a-longs at home, where neighbours and friends all gathered to sing Harry Lauder, Andy Stewart and all the other songs 'from back home' that kept their heritage alive in this new country.

Ross Petty and His Toronto Tradition of Fractured Fairy Tale Musicals

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 11/30/2012 - 10:29

Submitted by Sandy Graham

So how does a serious actor/dancer/singer come from Winnipeg, end up in Europe, perform on Broadway and create his own role on the #1 ‘soap’ All My Children?

‘I actually went to Victoria to study acting, and when I decided it was time to take my craft to the next level, England was far more advanced at that point so I headed to London to apply to the BBC. My family, although not musical in anyway, supported me in my quest, and my mother always was there for me. It all really started in England.”

Ross Petty was born in Winnipeg, Canada and at the tender age of 23 traveled abroad, and although the BBC did not pan out, what did happen was a role with Betty Grable in the London West End musical, Belle Star. Not bad for a kid on his own in Europe. This led him to France, where he actually sang at Le Lido in Paris. “I just lucked out, it was all very easy back then. I was young and fearless and living the life of a performer. We had 1 show at 11 pm – the second at 1 am. It was an upside down schedule – sleeping during the day and working until dawn. It was all very glamourous, with gorgeous chorus line girls in skimpy outfits. I did a full year of it before the hours took their toll. I decided to go to New York at that point and give it a shot. I was young and fearless back then, with nothing to lose.”

The Lamb Lies Down in Toronto!

Submitted by cashbox on Thu, 11/22/2012 - 18:01

Story: Lenny Stoute

This one is from the pages of the best kind of rock 'n' roll story. That’s the one where a group of friends get together and start a band for fun, then hang on tight as unexpected success on a grand scale changes their lives.

When a group of Montreal prog-rockin’ musos cooked up a Genesis tribute band called The Musical Box in 1993, it wasn’t meant to last. It came together primarily to celebrate the 20th anniversary of seminal Genesis album 'Selling England By The Pound', with two shows at The Spectrum.

Instead, it morphed into the longest one-of in rock history, becoming their ticket on a ride that has seen The Musical Box play to hundreds of thousands of people around the world.

The original lineup was a seven-piece with a strong theatrical outlook, and it plunged into using visual effects and costumes that were in the original Genesis shows of the 1970s. This kind of intimate meta connection to the original is a large part of what has placed The Musical Box apart from pretenders in the genre ever since.

Named for a 1971 Genesis song about an old man reclaiming his youth, the Montreal outfit has since become one of rock music’s least likely success stories: a French-Canadian cover band playing progressive-rock epics to raving crowds across the globe.

Says (frontman/band leader) Sebastian, “ In the beginning it was just a group of musician friends who were very into the music of Genesis. At that time we never imagined it wold lead to anything long term.”

Beatles 4 Sale…..Again

Submitted by cashbox on Thu, 11/15/2012 - 20:14

Submitted by Don Graham

“The Beatles Stereo Album LP Limited Edition Box Set” They’re baaaaaack! Fifty years later and The Beatles are back with product available for your listening pleasure! A 14 album, and I say album because that’s what they are, 12 inch, hold in your hand, read the liner notes without a magnifying glass, 33 1/3 RPM records! It isn’t magical and there is no mystery as to why a tour de force in the recording industry is still selling records. It’s quite ironic that some of the new acts are finding it difficult to sell hard copies of their music, be it CD or vinyl yet a band from 50 years ago will have trouble keeping up with demand for their latest offering.

Freedom of the Press Freedom of Speech

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 11/09/2012 - 16:59

Submitted by Sandy Graham and the Cashbox Team

Some of you might think it is not appropriate to devote this week entirely to Remembrance Day, but as the Editor in Chief it is a choice I made, with the Cashbox team in agreement, we decided we could give one week of our online magazine to show our gratitude for the freedom we enjoy today. On a personal note, if my own father, Donald Graham, had not returned from WW11, my brother Don and myself would never have been born. These are not facts from centuries ago, but glaring realities of what the generation just before ours went through for the price of freedom.

I grew up a hippie, wanting peace, a 'weekend' lovechild, and was blessed to have parents who had the patience to let me 'do my thing'. Music played a major role in my life, and the '60's left an indelible mark, with songs that were anti war and folksingers and rebels releasing albums to continue our fight for peace. What an amazing era to have experienced; John Lennon leading us in the chant of 'All we are saying is give peace a chance.' As the years have flown by us, the hippies grew up, the boys cut their hair, and got jobs 'working for the man' or started their own corporations. The girls grew up struggling with the stay at home image of their mothers while trying to have careers and juggle both work and families. The fact is we all had that choice because we have the freedom to do so.

46th Annual CMA Awards Country’s Night To Shine

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 11/02/2012 - 12:45

Submitted by Don Graham

While the bright lights of Broadway in New York were dark after Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc on Manhattan, the lights were shining bright on America’s other Broadway, in Nashville, Tennessee. This year the event was held at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena a stones throw from the mother church of country music, The Ryman Auditorium and was hosted for the fifth straight year by Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley. The Bridgestone Arena is home to Nashville’s NHL hockey team the Predators and one of their star players Peterborough, Ontario’s Mike Fisher is married to Carrie Underwood. Fisher may be locked out from the Predators dressing room due to the current NHL lockout but he was there in the arena on Thursday night.

On ABC's "Good Morning America," the morning of the show early winners were announced ahead of the awards show. Kenny Chesney was named the winner of the CMA Award for Musical Event for “Feel Like a Rockstar,” with Tim McGraw. Toby Keith won Music Video of the Year for his hit single “Red Solo Cup.”

BULLYING: Scars That You Can’t See

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 10/26/2012 - 14:38

Submitted by Cashbox Canada

This week’s issue will not draw attention to the usual musical references of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” or Bobby (Boris) Pickett’s classic “Monster Mash”. With all the recent attention on the horrible effects of bullying, we want to say “no trick – no treat – bullying is scarier than Hallowe’en."

Bullying has reached epidemic proportions in the last decade and this year or so it has escalated even more, and sadly, escalates every minute that goes by. Bullying used to be thought of as a schoolyard phenomenon but has morphed into something a lot bigger and a whole lot uglier. There is still school yard bullying but now there’s cyber bullying, work place bullying, spousal bullying, all types of bullying.