This is part two of two in the Best of 2007 series, and definitely the harder of the two to put together. Like the Top 10 Artists list, I asked some young music industry professionals to put together a list of their top happenings of the year, and did not put limits on what they could talk about. The results were all over the map, with some people writing just about concerts and others talking about music industry stuff. While it made for some interesting reading, making a list out of the various responses was nearly impossible.
Out of all the feedback, the following five subjects were mentioned the most frequently. Again, this is not scientific or definitive, but hopefully reflects the best of what is going on in the East Coast these days. Enjoy!
Nova Scotia Music Week Full disclosure: I worked on this event from 2004-2006, so what I am saying might come off as totally biased. However, knowing this event inside and out also gives me a good perspective on where Nova Scotia Music Week (NSMW) came from and where it’s going.
When I first joined the association in 2002, NSMW was vying for the attentions of the Halifax market and failing, which was reflected in the sparse attendance and general apathy among the Music Nova Scotia (then MIANS) membership. In 2006, NSMW switched gears and moved to Liverpool in the hopes of reviving the failing franchise. The move was wildly successful, and I can say without hesitation that it was the best event I have ever had the pleasure of working on.
The success of the NSMW 2007 proved that NSMW 2006 was no fluke. Liverpool was once again packed full of artists and industry professionals, who swarmed the showcases and the seminars in huge numbers. Even a freak snowstorm couldn’t dampen the spirits of the attendees, who were treated to candlelit performances in blackout conditions and late night jams with some of the region’s top artists. It was the first time I attended a music conference as a mere delegate in years (I hosted some panels, but that’s it), and I have to say that it was an absolute blast. As CBC’s Grant Laurence proclaimed in his post-NSMW blog, “the rest of Canada's music communities would do well to tear a page from Music Nova Scotia’s handbook.”
Atlantic Canadian Independent Labels With the major label music industry crumbling before us, it’s refreshing to see so many East Coast indies/collectives hit their creative stride. Just Friends launched a wonderful album by Laura Peek and a hilarious BA Johnston DVD. Cape Breton’s Company House treated us to a Tom Fun EP and a Slowcoaster full-length. Diminished Fifth Records represented the East Coast Metal Scene with The Music of Artisanship and War compilation. Divorce dropped punk/noise favourites by Vennt and Be Bad. Half-Life Records pumped out new discs from Classified and Jordan Croucher, while Fredericton’s Forward Music celebrated releases by Share, Petunia and The Loons, The Olympic Symphonium and The Fussy Part. The list goes on and on. Don’t believe me? Here are some more links:
The Blog and Atlantic Canadian Musicians I know there are a lot of paid journalists who are haters of the blog because it means more competition and less money to go around. As someone who spent the better part of three years making his entire income as a freelance writer, I feel your pain. However, as it stands right now, articles like the one I am writing right now don’t get a lot of editorial space in most of our regional papers, and national music/industry rags only scratch the surface of our excellent music scene.
Where’s a brother to go then? The internet, of course. Since most fans look to the net for their musical fix these days, it only makes sense that the critics go there as well. Yeah, we all know www.pitchforkmedia.com, www.stereogum.com and www.cokemachineglow.com, but Atlantic Canada also has stuff like www.aquietrevolution.com and www.thatsfuckingdynamite.com. If you look at this page right here, there is an increasing amount of front page coverage devoted to music articles, and there are rumblings of an online Atlantic Canadian music magazine coming together in the coming months. More sites devoted to Atlantic Canadian music means better exposure for our artists and more opportunities for emerging writers to flex their creative muscles.
Yeah, I know music blogs have been around for a million years, it’s 2007, get with the times, yadda yadda yadda. I get it. But I also get that the recent emergence of an East Coast music blog scene is an indication of the health of our regional music scene. And that’s a good thing.
“The Building of an Industry,“ - Johnston Farrow, Pandemonium Publicity There are a lot of good things happening for East Coast artists these days, and much of it is due to the emergence of a new batch of young music industry professionals. The combination of increased funding for the arts and the crumbling of the music industry has opened up opportunities for the youth of our region, and they’re making the most of these opportunities by starting labels (see the above list for more details), creating new music companies, and getting involved with already established businesses and organizations. The hiring of 24-year-old Jolene Keats as executive director of Music New Brunswick is just one example of senior industry professionals handing the ball off to the youth, and I am sure we are going to see a lot more of this activity in the coming months/years. Remember, the children are the future.
Dead of Winter Music Festival I didn’t get a chance to attend last year, and I guess I must suck because people have been raving about it ever since. Tara Thorne said the event had “a great fucking lineup,” while Kyle Cunjak called it “a warm cozy folk music in the coldest damn time of year.” Last year’s festival included performances by Royal Wood, Bob Wiseman, Jim Bryson and Jill Barber, while the 2008 lineup features Hayden, Jenn Grant, Rose Cousins, and Great Lake Swimmers (see www.inthedeadofwinter.com for a full lineup). If you have a chance to make your way to Halifax in the last week of January, I would suggest you do it.
Ok, that’s it for 2007. See you in 2008!
Upcoming SJ shows:
Sunday, Sep 5:
Wooden Wives, Girls Would Kill, Shinjuku Mad @ The Brickhouse, TBA, TBA, 19+
Harvesting the Arts Festival with Wet Grow Light, EarthBound Trio, Mike Macdonald, Mike Biggar, Kristina Trites, Josh Peters and True Grit Country, Quonset , December Fall Out, Meka, Girls Would Kill, Meatus, Matt Soucy, Kevin Facey, Mitch @ King Square, 10AM, FREE, All Ages
Friday, Sep 17:
Wooden Wives, Hospital Grade, Union of the Snake (HFX) @ Sun Star Lounge, 10:00pm, $5, 19+
Thursday, Nov 18:
Penny Blacks, Clinton Charlton and the Formers, TBA @ The Blue Olive, 8PM, TBA , 19+