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When it comes to music Canada has a lot to be proud of. The
list of Canadian talent crossing over into mainstream American
and Canadian culture and “making it big” is extensive. Whether
it’s our liberal atmosphere, overwhelming cold, or the
semi-clean drinking water, Canada has been fertile ground for
breeding great musicians. So it’s always exciting when a
festival showcasing talented and emerging new stars allows us
to celebrate the musicians of this great nation.
Enter Canadian Music Week. Running from March 2-5, the
festival offered up the chance to see over 200 potential “the
next big thing” performers in Toronto’s best venues. In terms
of genre and sound, the festival ran the gamut. Indie,
hip-hop, punk, blues, jazz, world, and everything in between
was represented by an overwhelming untapped talent pool. In
other words, it was an intimidating and overwhelming four
days.
As with most multi-day festivals, Canadian Music Week is
not for the weak and a great deal of planning is needed to
ensure the maximum number of great bands are seen in the most
concentrated locale. Seeing this much music on an empty
musical stomach is no path to survival either, so it was left
up to local UTSC rockers Glendora to set the pace. Using their
Horseshoe Tavern gig on the cusp of Canadian Music Week as a
palette cleanser, the trio kicked out the jams in a fashion
reminiscent of late-nineties-aggressive-stoner rock. Playing
unrelentingly heavy tunes, the duo of Norm Maschke and Andrew
Harry thundered through a few technical difficulties and some
shitty sound. With the concert-going cherry now thoroughly
popped, the stage was set for a great week.
It was great to see the Bovine Sex Club host Scarborough’s
own “chicks…with guitars”, aka Unsensored. The ladies and
gentleman moved the crowd through their brand of pop-punk with
an edge that seems to evolve every time they play. The group
made a point of providing tunes that were at once danceable
while reminding the “sk8er bois” in the audience that hearts
are not meant to be toyed with. For those guilty of such an
offence, singer Cheyenne Twiner transformed her seemingly
innocent stare into a glare of girl-power fury, vocally
lashing out at miscreants.
Other notable artists were London, Ontario’s Popjoy, who
stayed true to their name and gave the crowd a steady dose of
pop and joy. Fronted by singer Sarah Smith, the group made
sure everyone in attendance was sweaty and dancing, allowing
the audience a chance to forget the freezing temperatures
outside. Veterans of the college/university circuit, the group
had an incredibly tight performance and unusually positive
attitude considering the short sets and rushed atmosphere of
the event.
Toronto’s The Reason provided a rare disappointment. With a
record deal and radio play firmly in their favour, the group
sounds like…well everything else you’d hear released from a
major record company and played on the radio. Borrowing
heavily from the long defunct Refused and At the Drive-In, the
band seemed more content to play things safe and ride the wave
of Billy Talent’s success to musical security. It’s always sad
to see a band with great potential resort to the same old
formulas. Even the stage presence was generic and bland,
filled with mindless swearing and cheesy anecdotes about
wearing ties.
This made the appearance of Whitby’s own Protest the Hero
that much sweeter. Having secured a successful spot on one of
Canada’s most popular indie labels—Underground Operations—and
having acquired a dedicated and substantial following, the
group destroyed the FunHaus. With a set that consisted of
manic wails, spastic duck walking, flying guitars, and
mandatory acrobatic stage-diving, the crowd was left satiated
and sweaty. Between-song-banter was filled with singer Rody’s
sardonic musings and laments on having their $1,700 new engine
break down on them the first day they used it. Hard to believe
they’re only 18.
Toronto’s Sugarkill was also a worthy act. Blending
elements of reggae infused with pop-punk, they sounded
remarkably similar to No Doubt. While the rhythm section of
Brendan McGarvey, David Carter and Joey Proulx held down the
beats and timing, sultry singer Lindi kept the crowds
attention. Did I mention she’s a UTSC alumnus? Her only advice
for those UTSCers looking to make it big is to “just give
‘er!"
After all, it has been bands like Finger Eleven,
Alexisonfire, Greg MacPherson and Death From Above 1979 that
gave it all they had during Canadian Music Week in the past.
With global attention shifting to the “Great White North,”
there’s reason to believe that what happened this year could
spawn another great act. With North-by-Northeast still ahead,
there’s always time to catch up on some great Canadian talent
and support organic growth of a growing industry.
Gus Constantino
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