Entertainment

VIVE LA DANSE 25

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 10/21/2011 - 10:18

An Evening of Entertainment and Epicurean Treats
In Support of the DANCER TRANSITION RESOURCE CENTRE

The Dancer Transition Resource Centre turns 25 and is celebrating with panache at the legendary Imperial Room, with VIVE LA DANSE 25.

On Wednesday, October 26th, in the historic Imperial Room at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, Sheila McCarthy and Geraint Wyn Davies will host a dynamic evening of entertainment and epicurean treats to mark the Dancer Transition Resource Centre’s 25 triumphant years of transforming dancers' lives and facilitating their transitions into, within, and from professional performing careers.

The evening’s performances will feature Canadian superstars from dance, music and theatre including: dance luminaries Aleksandar Antonijevic, Guillaume Coté, Greta Hodgkinson, Heather Ogden, Laurence Lemieux, Bharatanatyam dancer Atri Nundy, and the (oh so hot) urban Gadfly Dance Company; musical icons John McDermott, Dave Young and Jackie Richardson; stage stars’ piano man David Warrack (also the evening’s Musical Director), Stratford Festival’s Robin Hutton and Billy Elliot’s Kate Hennig.

Jackie RichardsonBeginning with the first steps in childhood, dance is one of the most demanding professions. Dance pushes the limits– physically, emotionally and financially–making transitions inevitable.

The Canadian Pop Music Encyclopedia Revue debuts at the Black Swan

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 10/14/2011 - 14:13

An intimate Canadian music showcase launches at The Black Swan in Toronto on October 25th called “THE CANADIAN POP MUSIC ENCYCLOPEDIA REVUE” presented by the Pop Encyclopedia’s author Jaimie Vernon in conjunction with Jack Tassé and Pete Otis of T.O. Promotions.   

Vernon, who put the Encyclopedia online July 1, 1998, is about to launch this long-in-production history of Canadian pop music in book form in early November. As part of the promotional push he has teamed with Tassé and Otis to create a night of classic Canadian musical entertainment that would feature artists profiled in the book. October 25th will be the first of what the group hopes will be a successful monthly series.

  Says Vernon, “The first show will feature singer-songwriters like Fergus Hambleton of The Sattalites, Bob Bryden of Christmas/Reign Ghost, Jeff Jones from Red Rider/Ocean, and Terry Draper of Klaatu and some surprise guests. We’d like to have additional nights featuring rock, pop, blues, country and soul/R & B as a means to re-introduce some of Canada’s historic artists as well as up-and-comers back into the fabric of the current music climate. The end goal is to make this either a road show or franchise in other Canadian cities. We have so much talent in this country dating back 50 years and it’s time the public got to experience those amazing performers and songwriters all over again.

NIPPER’S TAIL IS WAGGING AGAIN !!!

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 10/14/2011 - 12:24

DON GRAHAM IN STUDIO B NASHVILLE, TENN.JPG

Story: Don Graham

At one time, back in the day, RCA Victor Records was the titan of record labels in the popular music industry. Artists like ELVIS, HARRY BELAFONTE, CHET ATKINS and later THE MONKEES were all part of the RCA Victor family. They were the label which came up with $35,000 to buy Elvis’ contract from Sun Records and Sam Phillips and even built a studio in Nashville so Elvis would have a place to record. Studio B, where Elvis recorded about 250 of his songs, is still there but is now is part of a tour and used by Mike Curb as a classroom. I had the pleasure of taking the tour just last year, and it was eerie to stand in the studio, in the same place where so many hit recordings got their start.

Long before Nike was branded by it’s swoosh and Apple was branded by it’s signature apple with the bite out of it, RCA Victor was branded by a little dog, affectionately named Nipper, with his ear cocked listening to the horn of an old victrola record player. The catch phrase, ‘His Masters Voice’, became RCA’s statement that the quality of their recordings was so clear that even Nipper couldn’t tell the difference between the recording and ‘his masters voice.”

I personally recorded quite a bit in the RCA Studio in Montreal which was designed after the Nashville studio and the playback radio speaker we used to listen to our mixes the way they would sound on the radio airwaves had a symbol of Nipper on it and was even nicknamed Nipper.

JUSTIN HINES TO PLAY TORONTO’S PANASONIC THEATRE AND CASHBOX HAS TWO TICKETS FOR LUCKY WINNERS!

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 10/07/2011 - 16:59

Canada’s own JUSTIN HINES, will be performing live at Toronto’s Panasonic Theatre (651 Yonge St) on Friday, October 21st at 8:00 pm. Tickets start at $35.00 and are available at the Box Office by calling 416.872.1212 or toll-free at 1.800.461.3333. Tickets to this special concert can also be purchased online through Ticket King here: https://web.ticketking.com/TK/.

Recently, Justin’s PBS television Special with RON SEXSMITH, THE CANADIAN TENORS, SIERRA NOBLE and NATALIE MACMASTER aired across the U.S. and also included airings in Toronto and Montreal.

Justin Hines has been around the globe performing songs off his recent release ‘DAYS TO RECALL’ which features the single “Tell Me I’m Wrong” currently continuing its rise on the American AC charts. The music video for the single focuses on the devastation caused by flooding and tornadoes in the southern U.S and the unbreakable spirit of the community as they rebuild their homes and their lives. The music video has garnered over 610,000 hits online within the past month.

TO WIN THE TICKETS PLEASE EMAIL ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION AND EMAIL
[email protected] to win!
QUESTION: WHICH JUSTIN HINES SONG STARTED HIS WHITEBOARD CAMPAIGN?
THE LUCKY WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN BY OCTOBER 14, 2011.

TICKETS COURTESY OF JUSTIN HINES AND ORANGE LOUNGE RECORDINGS.

Harvesting the Fruits of Francophone Culture

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 10/07/2011 - 16:57

The 6th Edition of ‘Francophonie en Fête’ is taking place this year from October 13th thru October 16th in the heart of downtown Toronto.

After several years of collaboration with the ‘Salon Du Livre’ the Festival is once again going on its own and is presenting an exceptional musical programme. In addition to the live performances, there are numerous workshops scheduled based on artistic creativity aimed at the younger market. During the four day Festival run, numerous artists will perform in the Distillery District, The Transac Club and the Glenn Gould Studio.

This year the ‘Francophonie en Fête’ production team would like to invite francophones, francophiles and anglophones alike to come out over the four days and celebrate ‘Harvesting the Fruits of the Francophonie Culture.’

Catherine MajorOpening night is scheduled for Thursday, October 13 in the Thomson-Landry Gallery in the Distillery District, and the celebrations will continue a variety of live entertainers, painting, music, public speaking, and workshops for songwriting and other creative ideas.

Diane TellAmongst some of the headliners are Catherine Major, Diane Tell, Patricia O’Callaghan, France Gauthier, Gilles Bélanger, to name a few.

Cowboy Junkies Announce October 18 Release Of Sing In My Meadow

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 12:11

Photo: CJs iconic muse Margo Timmins.

Iconic Toronto artists get set to release volume three of The Nomad Series & the follow up to Volume Two Demons, the critically acclaimed tribute to the late Vic Chesnutt.

With the October 2011 release of Sing In My Meadow, Cowboy Junkies continue an ambitious schedule of four releases over an 18 month period, collectively titled "The Nomad Series."

Sing In My Meadow is a collection of songs recorded over a four day period that the band's Michael Timmins describes as "an album that references an aspect of our live performances that we don't dig into very much in our studio recordings. We wanted the album to revolve around those psychedelic, blues-inspired forays we are so fond of exploring on stage.

“This past February the live band (the four of us plus Jeff Bird) gathered in our studio to record all of these songs over a four day period. We approached them all live-off-the-floor, nasty and dirty and disturbing the cold winter night’s peace. We tried to channel Miles at the Isle of Wight, deep in his Bitches Brew phase, Captain Beefheart and his Mirror Man psychoses, The Birthday Party live at the Electric Ballroom circa 1981 (Margo, Al and I were in that audience) and Neil and Crazy Horse in the back room at SIR….overdriven and thick with electricity."  Sing In My Meadow follows the critically acclaimed Renmin Park (2010) and Demons (2011). Renmin Park was inspired by Timmins’ two-month stay in China with his family in ‘08 and was called “their most ambitious yet” by

CMAO At CCMA

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 12:50

September 21, 2011

By Heather Ostertag - President of the CMAO

What a great Country Music Week the CCMA's and Hamilton put on. The CMAO was afforded a number of opportunities to promote the organization as well as its members, thanks to the collaborative nature of the event.

A big thanks goes to the CCMA as well as Hamilton Entertainment and Convention Facilities Incorporated (HECFI) who supported the CMAO's performance opportunity on the Thursday night leading into Country Music Week. The event was a tremendous success from the opening performance by Naomi Bristow, through to the closing number which included The Sadies and their father Bruce Good taking the stage for an encore. All those who attended were thoroughly entertained. It was wonderful to see so many of the CMAO Directors in attendance, working backstage, on-stage at our booth selling memberships. It is very inspiring to lead such a great team of people.

President of the CMAO Heather Ostertag and the CCMA Event/Jamie Warren,Randy Owen, Brian Allen, Donna Henry from Country 93It was wonderful to meet up with so many of our members throughout the weekend. I have said this before and it has been reaffirmed to be again that attending Country Music Week is like attending a family reunion. Albeit a very large family.

Michelle Wright Inducted into The Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 09/16/2011 - 11:57

[Photo:Michelle Wright and Johnny Reid show off their goodies.]

This past Sunday, September 11, the Canadian Country Music Association honoured its 2011 Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame inductees at a special gala dinner and award ceremony. Michelle Wright, this year's Artist inductee, was recognized for her outstanding contributions to Canada's country music landscape.

Canadian born Michelle Wright has drawn rave reviews for her powerful voice over the last two decades. Selling nearly two million albums in North America and enjoying an international career, she is the first Canadian artist in the modern era of country music to have a Top Ten hit in America (Take It Like A Man, 1992) and a Number One video on CMT-USA.

"What a tremendous honour. I deeply appreciate this recognition and am so very proud to have had the opportunity to represent Canada across the globe through my music," said Michelle Wright of her induction. "I have been blessed, and continue to be blessed, with a wonderful career. My thanks go out to the CCMA, my fans and industry friends, Brian Ferriman (my manager of more than 25 years), my outstanding team, and my husband, Marco, for helping make this recognition possible."

The Power of Music

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 09/16/2011 - 11:46

Story:Bill Delingat

Song soothes sorrow and we all know that well.

When a child cries the mother is often brought to rocking and singing a song to soothe the tearful eyes of the vulnerable child that slowly relaxes into a deep comforting sleep. Babes in arms.

With the tragic events of 9/11 being ten years past, the writer looked at the various ways people expressed their sorrows looking for closure and truth after all these years.

One performer stuck out with her new phase on her journey through life and there we found a song. "You Gotta Believe" Parvati is a unique performer, bringing her messages to the public through her songs and unique performances; she has been the first at making her visions and dreams a reality to share with the children of "Mother Earth". Cashbox has not only watched her shows but also her adventures, documenting her trip to the North Pole and the first concert performed on the barren but beautiful wasteland.

Parvati performs a song she wrote for 9/11. 10 years ago. Parvati was at the piano, she was called by her father to see the twin towers fall live. Filled with emotion she went back to the piano and this song "You Gotta Believe" was born. She sang this song at Madison Square Garden and is currently working on a studio release

The season’s Buzz Queen Jennifer Castle hits the road for a National tour of Castlemusic

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 09/09/2011 - 11:41

After lending her unmistakable voice to albums by The Constantines, Fucked Up, Eric Chenaux and Weird Visions and touring with Owen Pallett, in April Jennifer released her third solo record, and the first under her own name.

Castlemusic came out on Flemish Eye in April to great critical acclaim

How the lady’s taking it and her mesmerizing presence to both coasts of our great country this fall. After a show at Pop Montreal, Jen heads West to play a string of dates on the West Coast, and then turns East for Halifax Pop Explosion and a run of dates opening for Chad VanGaalen.

Castle says that she “takes the world very seriously, while believing very much in impossible things.” This idea of being rooted in the real world – yet still free to soar in the ether of daydreams offers insight into the contradictory and alluring world of Jennifer Castle.

After lending her unmistakable voice to a diverse list of recordings – including The Constantines’ Kensington Heights, Fucked Up’s Year of the Pig and David Comes to Life, as well as albums by Ryan Driver, Eric Chenaux, Doug Paisley, Weird Visions and Wooly Leaves, Jennifer Castle now brings her very personalized take on folk music to the world under her own name for the first time.

Castlemusic captures a distinctive Canadian artist using a vivid palette of subtle textures and colours. Timeless in tone and dense with mystery and mysticism, Castlemusic constructs a sonic environment that reverberates like a world long lost, steeped in longing and foggy like a half-remembered dream.