Meredith Shaw plays the Annex WreckRoom Mar. 9. Courtesy Meredith Shaw
By Karen Bliss
This year’s Canadian Music Week (CMW) is bigger then ever.
“The live scene is coming back in Canada, Toronto particularly. I think that’s important. We are using close to 60 venues, so that’s reasonably healthy,” says Neill Dixon, CMW president. “The festival is very multi-national now. The majority of bands are from Canada, but a large contingent are from England and Ireland, and we have artists coming in from France, Denmark, Australia, Israel, Greece, and, of course, the U.S.”
More than 800 local and international artists will play in over 50 venues over five nights from Mar. 9 to 13 in Toronto.
The opening party, at the Mod Club, features Finger Eleven and Desperate Union.
Other Annex-area hot tickets include pop singer Meredith Shaw at the Annex WreckRoom on the 9th, rock act Crooked Valentine, also at the WreckRoom on the 10th, followed by Montreal punk band Trigger Effect, and Crash Karma (comprised of former members of I Mother Earth, Our Lady Peace, and The Tea Party) at the Mod Club on the 10 with Age of Daze.
At Clinton’s, expect the FACTOR breakthrough series to showcase some rising talent. The bill on the Wednesday card includes pop band M.T.L at midnight, whose album was produced by Justin Gray (who has produced for Joss Stone, Emma Bunton, and J.D. Fortune).
For anyone interested in the music industry, CMW’s “Tune Up Music Careers,” part of the conference (March 10 to 12 at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel), offers plenty of entry-level panels, covering everything from A&R, to songwriting and bookings. The celebrity interviews are with Nikki Sixx, Melissa Etheridge, and Sammy Hagar.
On the 10th, Young Galaxy play with Imaginary Cities, and Miracle Fortress at Lee’s Palace. In fact, one can’t go wrong with staying put at Lee’s all night for any of the CMW bills: on the 11th, step in for Toronto indie rock act Dinosaur Bones at 11 p.m., and on the 12th, headliners Electric Six are joined by Paper Lions, and The Balconies.
A $75 wristband ($85 walk-up, if not sold out) allows access to all these showcases, exclusive gigs, afternoon shows, after-parties, as well as the film festival screenings. Annex-area venues include Lee’s Palace (529 Bloor St. W.), The Annex Wreck Room (794 Bathurst St. 2nd fl.), The Central (603 Markham St.), Sneaky Dee’s (431 College St.), Clinton’s (693 Bloor St. W.), the Mod Club (722 College St.), and the Silver Dollar (486 Spadina Ave.). For more information on all aspects of the conference, festival, trade show, and awards, including schedules, go to cmw.net.