Features

BIENVENUE A MIDEM !

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 02/03/2012 - 18:45

Canadian Blast was a huge success for CIMA and the 14 Canadian acts who benefitted from the three days of Showcases in Cannes, France, all part of the legendary yearly event, MIDEM, the incredible yearly playground of worldwide music industry associated businesses, all holding court in the prestigious Palais de Congress, the same red carpet building where the International Film Festival takes place.

The largest contingency of Canadian talent ever showcased at Canadian Blast, this year was combination of known acts and acts you are surely going to know in the very near future. The actual ‘MIDEM’ is held during the day, with booths for every country situated on two floors of the enormous grand building. At night the tiny town of Cannes comes alive with music and parties throughout the cobblestoned streets that look so much like Old Montreal, with outdoor cafes nestled on small streets and artistes selling their wares along alleyways of ‘magasins’.

Canadian Blast ran for three days, and featured incredible talent. All Showcase acts performed ironically in an Irish Pub called Morrison’s smack in the middle of Cannes. Cashbox would like to introduce you to the best of the best, who won the spot to be on the famous Canadian Blast Showcase for MIDEM 2012.

Bienvenue à la Belle Province

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 02/03/2012 - 12:47

Marc Durand

Que se passe t’il au Québec sur la scène musicale en 2012?

Cette chronique vous éclairera peut-être!! Le Québec a toujours eu une industrie musicale un peu en marge de tout ce qui se faisait dans le reste de l’Amérique. Dans les années 80 et 90, un album Québécois pouvait vendre 300,000 copies et n’avoir aucun impact dans le reste du Canada. Bien que la situation n’est plus aussi florissante qu’il y a vingt ou trente ans, comme un microclimat, l’industrie locale se démarque toujours des tendances nord américaines.

Je vais vous présenter diverses facettes le Québec d’aujourd’hui.

Parler des meilleurs vendeurs, des icônes qui ont marqué le showbiz local, les promoteurs et les grands évènements.

Parler de Pagliaro et de Coeur de Pirate, de Nanette, Roch Voisine, Marie Mai...de Donald Tarlton (Donald K Donald) du Festival de Jazz ...et du Festival Juste pour Rire.

Le showbiz Québécois est omniprésent sur la planète... on a qu’à penser au Cirque du Soleil et à Céline Dion.

Il fut un temps où le Québec était le tremplin pour les groupes d’Angleterre pour attaquer l’Amérique!! C’était l’époque de Genesis, Supertramp et plusieurs autres... Que s’est-il passé depuis cette glorieuse période?

Aujourd’hui on a Star Académie et une concentration radiophonique (Cogeco et Astral) qui aident ou nuisent au développement de la culture et de l’industrie?

Drake Jensen-Across The Gay Divide

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 01/27/2012 - 12:23

Story:Lenny Stoute

You know that thing about greatness being thrust on you? And the one about great things coming out of terrible situations? What happens when the two come together in a perfect sick storm of fear and persecution? Some will go under; some will struggle to the top. At the forefront of the strongest swimmers you’ll find Drake Jensen, survivor, country singer and homosexual.

The son of a Cape Breton hard rock coal town, the kind of which Merle Travis said was “dark as a dungeon way down in the mine”. The kind where the mind shafts are too narrow to allow for light to get in and shadows are looked upon with suspicion.

Imagine how strong and bright a light must be to beam out of a hole like that, especially when you’re thrown down the hole at age 5.

Drake Jensen is a rising star on the Canuck country scene, a good looking husky guy, passionate and genuine, committed to his art and this week making his Coming Out to the world at large.

Whoa. Cojones of steel, you say. Indeed, y’all, dude has all of that and more and he’ll likely have need of all of it sooner rather than later. Ok, how about right now?

“Why now? I had no other choice but to come out now. For my own self-respect number one and for my husband, Sean, the person who nursed me back to health, self-esteem and confidence. I couldn’t deny that any longer."

Stuart Johnston-The Future Face of the Independent Music Industry By Sandy Graham

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 01/20/2012 - 13:00

Stuart Johnston is the President of the Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA), which represents more than 180 company members of the English-language independent Canadian-owned music industry. Johnston leads a small team of dedicated professionals who support the businesses and creative entrepreneurs who work to make Canada’s music production industry unique in the world. He is also a Board member of Re:Sound and the AVLA, two music-licensing agencies, as well as a member of the National Advisory Committee on Policy Priorities for the Canadian Conference of the Arts.

Prior to joining CIMA, Stuart was the Vice President of Policy and Government Relations with the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. In addition to liaising with members of the provincial government and Ontario business leaders, Stuart was responsible for taking an active role in responding to policy priorities in finance and taxation, transportation and infrastructure, borders and trade, education, and energy issues. He also focused on strategically positioning the OCC as Ontario’s Business Advocate through the development of sound policy positions reflecting the Interests of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce and its members. (In 2008 Stuart was honoured with the James Gordon Carnegie Memorial Award for his leadership and mentorship within the Ontario chamber network.)

Grit Grooves and Emotion – David Gogo Soul-Bender

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 01/13/2012 - 16:05

Story: Sandy Graham

David Gogo is known for being one of the hardest working blues rock guitarists in the industry and the moniker suits him well. He is a man of his word, and when a recent routing booking issue took place, he fulfilled his commitment to tour Western Canada. After two shows in Holland, Gogo flew back to Canada to finish the tour he had committed to with the legendary Johnny Winter. A gruelling schedule, but he is a man of his word, and committed to his reputation as well as his music, he flew thousands of miles to keep his fans happy.
We recently had the opportunity to talk to this great Canadian treasure, and he gave some refreshing answers to what makes David Gogo who he is in this industry.

CB: When did you get your first guitar?
DG: I actually started out on a toy ukulele, just strumming on it but I was close to 6 years old when I got my first real guitar; it was a Raven, and we bought it at a furniture store. It was kind of a ¾ size and looked like a Gibson Hummingbird. The biggest thrill of my life was getting my first electric guitar, a Les Paul Black Beauty.

Carpet Frogs-The Best Band You Don’t Know

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 01/06/2012 - 12:19

Story: Michael E. Williams

There are few crack elite live and studio session bands in the country that are bands for hire. They learn new material all the time, translating it with skill, accuracy, and speed, bringing out the originality and authenticity in all the music they play.

One such unit is The Carpet Frogs. I talked to founding members Jeff Jones and Nick Sinopoli.

NS: I was in a tribute band at the time “Just Alice”. We put The Carpet Frogs together for the closing of the Gasworks, Jan. 9th 1993. All the bands came down and played; Saga, Triumph, Helix, Platinum Blonde, and Coney Hatch.

JJ: I joined Red Rider in 1978, left in 1985, joined the Infidels and after that formed The Carpet Frogs. We did the Gasworks closing and Sammy Culpepper’s Tuesday night jam for beers and the band has been going ever since. It has been 19 years.

MW: When did the Carpet Frogs become this crack studio session and live backing band?

JJ: During the 90’s at Lulu’s Roadhouse. They had a house band. We played between the house band and the main acts as an opening act for everyone that came through. Lots of the people that came to Lulu’s wanted us for corporate gigs.

IT WOULDNT BE CHRISTMAS WITHOUT AN ALUMINUM TREE  

Submitted by cashbox on Sat, 12/24/2011 - 11:56

My Dad’s mother always held court with her new husband Larry and together they had a small two bedroom apartment at Dawes & Danforth Roads in Toronto. They would decorate the place with blue and red dazzling aluminum wreaths and baubles and frilly bells and bows like some Dr. Seuss cartoon come to life. But, it wasn’t until the blinding chrome aluminum Christmas tree came out that we knew it was truly Christmas with The Vernons.  

It was the Christmas of ’73 when the entire extended family was all able to return to their homestead for the first time since the early 1960s. It was a rare occasion that my Dad’s sister and her daughter were able to fly in from California to complete a Vernon reunion that included six brothers/sisters, their respective spouses and no less than nine cousins in attendance. Did I mention it was a two bedroom apartment?  

The women helped Gran cook the meal. The men stood on the balcony and smoked/drank, attempted to assemble toys from the instructions supplied and/or take the kiddie brood out to the park for ice-skating and tobogganing.  

Grandma Vernon's Xmas 1966Then the time would come for dinner to be served. The children sat at tables in the kitchen or in the living room using TV trays while the adults sat at a massive mahogany dining room table. It was adorned with candles and a crocheted table cloth handmade by Gran. The table required a centre leaf to expand it for accommodating the size of our clan.

Christmas and Cashbox Canada

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 12/23/2011 - 12:53

Story:Sandy Graham

Three years ago, Bill Delingat bumped into me at a Canadian Tire Store, and handed me his cell phone to talk to Bruce Elrod of the flagship Cashbox Magazine in the U.S.A. We made a deal between the three of us to launch the online franchise here in Toronto, standing between the check out counter and the cookware section. How Canadian is that?

As the year comes to a close, we wanted to take a moment to introduce you to the staff that makes Canada’s Premier Online Magazine appear every week for you our readers, both the music fans and the folks who make up our music industry.

The indefatigable Lenny Stoute, the Editor who patiently streams through endless words every week, explaining to enthusiastic writers that 3,000 words is not industry standard, and could we please fact check, and try to learn to use our spell check and grammar aides as well?

Anyone who has the pleasure of being interviewed by Lenny knows he has a style like none other. Personally, Lenny is my right arm in this venture and I couldn’t do it without him.

Sheldon Kagan: 45 Years in Music and counting

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 12/23/2011 - 12:49

Story: Michael E. Williams

Montreal has always been fertile ground for DJ’s, but Sheldon Kagan took it to the next level of business and entrepreneurship. As a testament to this I caught up with the 61 year old DJ/promoter/producer between gigs to talk about his forty-five years in the music business and his dreams for the future.

SK: I am in between parties. This is my 5th day straight of events.
MW: Sheldon when did the music hit you?
SK: I was 15 years old living with my parents in the Snowdon, Cote des Niege area, listening to radio and at that time there was a radio announcer named Dave Boxer on the air.

I was fascinated by him and the music he was playing. I spent all my free time, when not in school, listening to his radio shows Monday to Friday 7-11pm. I became infatuated. He had this contest to win records, shirts and tickets to meet the Beatles and Rolling Stones. I entered and, for all those years, I was the number one contest winner. Even all these years later I can tell you that the contest line number was 279 4568, 276-261.

The Christmas Spirit

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 12/23/2011 - 12:47

Story: Michael Williams

Government cheese is processed cheese that was provided to welfare and food stamp recipients in the United States from the 1960s through to the early 1990s. (The style of cheese predated the era, having been used in military kitchens since the Second World War and in schools since as early as the 1960s.)

How poor were we? We qualified for government cheese and I remember getting presents given to us by the National Guard, spam in a can and powdered eggs and milk in a box…Cleveland 1962.
Being a Jehovah’s Witness growing up was not the easiest thing at Christmas time or year round. You see we did not celebrate Christmas and survived so I don’t know what the fuss is about in the news now?

But it was a great time of year for us because of the vacation from school and the family gets together with Uncle Norris and Uncle Amos playing the blues on Sivertone amp and homemade guitars. Even though we did not celebrate the holiday, we lived in the spirit of it! By sharing with family and friends.