The names are in for the six official East Coast Music Award showcases stages that will take place as part of ECMA 2009 set for Corner Brook, NL from Feb. 26 to March 1.
Showcase performers submitted their names to the East Coast Music Association in September and the selections were determined by six separate juries of industry professionals representing the ECMA’s five regions: New Brunswick, mainland Nova Scotia, Cape Breton, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island.
If you’ll be in town to catch the ECMAs in Corner Brook, you can start planning your weekend now. Here are the acts for the ECMA showcases:
ECMA CONCERT SERIES – Damhnait Doyle, David Myles, Duane Andrews, Hey Rosetta!, Madison Violet, Shanneyganock, Slowcoaster, The Navigators, The Tom Fun Orchestra, Troy MacGillivray
CBC GALAXIE RISING STARS STAGE – Alert the Medic, Battery Point, Brent Randall and His Pinecones,
Catcher, Christina Martin, Keith Hallett, Mercy, the Sexton, Ruth Minnikin, Ryan Cook, Shelter with Thieves
ECMA ROCK STAGE - Andrew Hunter & The Gatherers, Grand Theft Bus, Mardeen, Pat Deighan & The Orb Weavers, Smothered In Hugs, The Monday Nights, The Motorleague, The Nuclear, The Superfantastics, Tim Chaisson & Morning Fold
ECMA ROOTS ROOM – Brian Byrne, Chrissy Crowley Band, Gypsophilia, Idlers, Mary Barry, Nudie and the Turks, Samantha Robichaud, Teresa Ennis, The Olympic Symphonium
ECMA BLUEBIRD NORTH CAFÉ – Don Brownrigg, Ian Sherwood, JD Clarke, Kev Corbett, Meaghan Blanchard, Rose Cousins, Lennie Gallant, Chris Picco, Sherry Ryan, and Ontario native Amy Sky
More performances will be announced over the next month including the Soundwaves School Program, the Discovery Stage, and a number of community and provincial music industry association partner stages.
For those looking for tickets to the ECMAs, several ECMA ticket packages will go on sale in early December. These packages will include the ECMA Music Awards Gala, and the SuperPass which includes all official showcase stages excluding the SOCAN Songwriter’s Circle. Visit www.ecma.com for more ticket information.
Classified gets major label deal
Nova Scotia hip-hop artist Classified recently joined the world of Sony Music.
It’s a big step for the hip hop artist who built his name on the east coast and has managed to spread it across the country.
He’s currently touring with D12 and has an animated video on the way next month. A new album is on the way in March 2009.
Congrats to Classified.
The Maynards set for album release
Pop-rock trio The Maynards will celebrate the release of their new album Date & Destroy on Friday, Dec. 5 at Gus’ Pub. The show will also feature performances from The Stolen Minks, Soaking Up Jagged and Albertasaurus.
The band, Heath Matheson (vocals, guitar), Kristina Parlee (vocals, bass) and Chantal Tardiff (vocals, drums), formed in 1999, releasing three EPs as well as their debut LP, The Maynards Stole Your Lunch Money.
In 2005, The Maynards returned with their sophomore full length, Break Out The Make Out.
The Barra MacNeils celebrate Christmas
Ready or not (I, for one, am not …), Christmas is just about upon us. With this, Nova Scotia group The Barra MacNeils is bringing its annual seasonal musical celebration to theatres across Canada.
The popular Christmas tour caps a busy year for the Barras who have traveled across the continent playing in over 14 states in the U.S. including New York and Florida. In the new year, they will travel to Scotland for the opening performance of the Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow.
The tour goes coast to coast, but the east coast dates are as follows:
Dec. 18: Imperial Theatre – Saint John, N.B.
Dec. 19: St. John’s United Church – Moncton , N.B.
Dec. 20: St. FX University Auditorium – Antigonish, N.S.
Dec. 21: Rebecca Cohn – Halifax, N.S. (two shows on this date)
Dec. 22: Savoy Theatre – Glace Bay, N.S.
Check with your local venue for ticket info.
Great Big Sea comes home
After a successful tour of Canada and U.S., Great Big Sea will return home to perform in support of their ninth studio release Fortune’s Favour in the spring with an Atlantic Canadian tour, March 11 to 14. Special guest is Vancouver band Spirit of the West.
Dates include:
March 11: Moncton Coliseum
March 12: Halifax Metro Centre
March 14: St. John’s Mile One Centre
Fortune’s Favour was released in June. The latest single from the album, “Love Me Tonight”, was released to radio this month.
All tickets are $39.50 and $54.50 (including tax) and go on sale this Friday, Nov. 28. Moncton tickets will be available at the Moncton Coliseum box office, by phone at 857-4100 and online at www.sonicconcerts.com. Halifax tickets will be available at the Ticket Atlantic box office in the Metro Centre, by phone at 451-1221, at all participating Atlantic Superstores and online at www.sonicconcerts.com. St. John’s tickets will be available at the Mile One Centre box office, by phone at 576-7657 (1-800-361-4595) and online at www.sonicconcerts.com.
D5R founder forms publicity company
Fans of heavy music in the Maritime’s have some more support coming for their ever-growing scene. Diminished Fifth Records founder, Josh Hogan, just launched his own media relations and publicity company, Hogan Media Relations.
“It seems like the next logical step,” Hogan said in a press release. “With bands approaching me outside of the Diminished Fifth roster and asking for assistance with promoting their releases and tours, I knew I had to offer help for the very artists who have done so much to support me and Diminished Fifth Records”.
Hogan Media Relations plans to help bands by handling such essential promotional services as: press releases, album reviews, artist interviews, radio tracking and more.
Diminished Fifth Records was formed in July 2006 with the purpose of promoting the heavier genres of music in Canada’s east coast. Surprising many (this writer included), the label hasn’t only continued to survive, it’s actually made a lot of headway getting east coast metal out across the globe. Recent releases by Iron Giant and Gallactus are available for purchase in the U.K. and across Canada in HMV stores.
