Canadian Music Fest

The Stogies

The Stogies light one up

The Stogies are a band who would maybe probably rather burn out than fade away, but knowing their penchant for all things raucous and unbridled, they’d just light another one up anyways. I had the esteemed pleasure of hosting these 5 boys in my small apartment for two days during CMF. And what pleasurable chaps they were. What really blew me away about this rock ‘n’roll band with heavy classic rock and jam band elements, was that these quiet, and somewhat shy Halifax, N.S. boys really ripped on stage. A sweaty, psychedelic assault, if you will.

Limblifter

Limblifter: Year of the Dahle

“Tinfoil”. “Vicious”. “Cordova”. “Screwed it Up”. “Ariel vs Lotus”. “Wake up to the Sun”. “Perfect Day to Disappear”. Chances are, if you’re a fan of Canadian rock music, you’ve heard a Limblifter tune or two. At a time where we’ve seen a strong resurgence of many CanRock bands of the 90s (Big Sugar, Big Wreck, Tea Party, Wide Mouth Mason, I Mother Earth, Treble Charger, Rusty) Vancouver, B.C. exports Limblifter, who formed in 1995, are too, at it again.

CHVRCHES

CMF 2013 reviews: CHVRCHES, The Zolas and Rah Rah

The show with probably the most buzz at Canadian Music Week might have been out of Scotland. Electro pop band CHVRCHES made their Canadian debut with a sold out show at the Virgin Mobile Mod Club on Wednesday, March 20. The band landed in America for the first time, played SXSW and promptly won the Inaugural Grulke Prize for Developing Non-U.S. Act. Of course, all of this was merely a warm up for Canadian Music Week, right?

Wildlife

Wildlife, PS I Love You, Mad Ones & Mo Kenny at Canadian Music Fest

My first night at Canadian Music Fest included one band that I knew I couldn’t miss. At midnight on Thursday, March 21 at The Great Hall, Wildlife were set to take the stage, and based on what I had heard of their album, I knew it was a show I wanted to check out. As it turned out, they were preceded by three acts that showed a lot of promise–Mo Kenny, Mad Ones, and PS I Love–so, I decided to start CMF this year by sticking with one venue.

Jordan Cook

CMW 2012: Thursday picks

Thirteen years. Unless I can’t count, I am pretty sure this will be my thirteenth year covering Canadian Music Week, or more specifically, what is now called Canadian Music Fest. (Yes, that does, indeed, make me feel old, but then again I’ve been doing this since I was 24, when I wasn’t so old at all.)

Since my time is short, as I’m getting ready to head out for the night, I wanted to pass on a few recommendations for tonight, the second night of the festival. You can find the full schedule for the full festival at www.canadianmusicfest.com/schedule/.