#cmwfest

Canadian Music Week (in closing)

To pick up where the last entry left off, the Sask / Alberta showcase was an awesome night. The Gladstone hotel was the venue for the evening and the room just sounded amazing. The bands on the bill were Andy Shauf, Nuela Charles, We Were Lovers, Sidney York, Foam Lake and Wool on Wolves. I've never seen a performer that makes a room fall silent like Andy Shauf. When he plays, everyone shuts up and listens. A musician's dream.

One of the highlights of the week was a trip to Joao Carvalho's Mastering studio. Both of our albums were mastered here, and our jaws were on the floor during this tour. The place just felt comfortable and creative. His mastering room is one of the most acoustically precise rooms in the world, complete with beautiful woodwork and the best equipment money can buy. We gave him a copy of each album, and were happy to sign them upon his request. Once we had seen all the rooms, we went across the street to see the 'Revolution Recording' studio. Once again, our jaws hit the floor when we toured this building. Pictured above is Studio B. It sounds just as good as it looks. We heard a girl singing in the next room and he informed us it was Serena Ryder recording something new live in studio. Pretty cool. It would be a dream to record here, and we left this place buzzing with new ideas and inspired by all the possibilities. Joao's one of the best in the business, a true master at what he does... get it? I'd say he's also one of the nicest.

The last days of our trip involved more learning at the conference, and lots of opportunity to talk with major players in the music industry. The nights were pure music, and the last band we watched was Edmonton's own Shout Out Out Out Out at the Horseshoe Tavern. The place was absolutely packed, and their show was awesome. A great way to end the festival.

The whole week was a blast, and we didn't really waste any of it. We played our showcase, met some of our idols, made some contacts, made some fans, ate lots of street meat (great hot dogs in TO), drank beers, saw a Leafs home game, and had an endless supply of great live music. It was a cold week, but we missed Edmonton's winter apocolypse so can't complain.