Canadian Music Week (CMW) just wrapped up another successful combination of festival, conference, trade show and everything else to do with Canadian music, all bundled together into one unmissable event. The Bloom Effect’s Fiona Bloom here shares her CMW Severe Seven, the seven live music highlights that made the most impression on her.
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I love coming to Toronto for Canadian Music Week. Great bands, informative panels, a wonderful city, friendly people and an accessible industry. Congrats to Neill Dixon and his staff for reaching a milestone – 30 years!
Some of you know my Fierce Fifty (CMJ) and Severe Seventy (SXSW) artists to watch. This time I decided to make my selection purely by discovery witnessing the show live and without any preconceived notions.
So here they are, the CMW Severe Seven:
1. Young Empires (Toronto)
REMG/Pirates Blend night – Jonathan Ramos produces some of the best live concerts in the city.
WHITE DOVES (Single Version) by YOUNG EMPIRES
2. Busby Marou (Australia)
Folk pop with gorgeous harmonies.
Biding My Time by Busby Marou
3. The Slakadeliqs (Toronto)
Turns out I met Slakah last year at CMW and he was telling me about his project. This was his first show with the band. Experimentation and exploration of all musical influences – a really fun performance.
We also were treated to MC Shad – a Canadian fave – hosting the show, and he did a couple freestyles.
4. Kids and Explosions (Toronto)
http://www.kidsandexplosions.com
This tripped out kid with turntables/laptop, video installations, a light show and a pool of color was juggling beats, mixing live and doing all kinds of mash-ups. He opened up his set with Guns N’ Roses mashing Lil Wayne – that did it for me …
5. Emma Lee (Toronto)
Country with a whole lot of soul! I knew this would be a shoo-in as my friend Click is managing her and he has some of the best musical taste in Canada.
6. Monster Truck (Toronto)
http://www.ilovemonstertruck.com
Hard rock/massive moshing. Packed out house and lines down the street to get in.
Click here to download [.zip, free] “The Brown EP”
7. Teenage Kicks (Toronto)
http://www.teenagekicksteenagekicks.com
Five piece – two brothers and a whole lot of synergy. Really strong hooks and crazy energy.
No attitude = just good ol’ fun + they gave me a vinyl 7-inch. Great way to end my week.
Honorable mentions:
BadBadNotGood
Sounds like these guys will have a deal within the next couple months.
Cold Specks
http://www.soundcloud.com/coldspecks
Cold Specks – Holland by Cold Specks
Lastly – had some wicked Indian food. Was worth the hour wait.
Banjara – http://www.torontobanjara.com
See you at the next conference!
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With over 15 years in the entertainment industry, The Bloom Effect is a unique one stop shop for artists, labels, and lifestyle marketers. Created by music industry maven Fiona Bloom, The Bloom Effect brings a huge Rolodex of global contacts from around the world to its clients, providing a wealth of insight/knowledge and consultation for getting your project seen and heard.
