Music News Digest, June 30, 2022

By Kerry Doole

Awards

The BET Awards, which celebrate Black entertainers, took place in Los Angeles last Sunday, and Canadians joined the winners' circle in two categories. The Weeknd triumphed as the Beat Male R&B/Pop Artist while the Best Collaboration trophy went to Essence by Wizkid, featuring Justin Bieber and Tems. A full list of winners here. 

– The 2022 Forest City London Music Awards, an annual celebration of local musical talent from the London, ON, region, celebrated its 20th edition on June 26. The event at London Music Hall saw 20 awards presented in many genres, with winners including Mad Moxxis, Farewell Stanleys, Bill Durst, Adam Cousins, Shane Cook & The Woodchippers, Lost In Japan, Justin Maki, and King Cruff. See a full list of winners here.  Performers included The Pairs and Cherrill Rae Yates, a new inductee into the Forest City London Music Hall of Fame. Source: London Free Press 

Festivals news

– The lineup for Harvest Home Festival in Souris, PEI is out now. Produced by local faves The East Pointers, the fest, running Sept. 23 and 24, will feature Matt Andersen and The Big Bottle of Joy, Andy Shauf, Reeny Smith, Ria Mae, Villages, Kaia Kater, Morgan Toney, Rosier, and Kierrah. More info and tix here

– Making headlines at the TD Toronto Jazz Fest last weekend was Raptors Head Coach Nick Nurse, who joined in with The New Power Generation to help celebrate the music of Prince.

– The finals of the 2022 Toronto Blues Society Talent Search will be presented as a live event as part of the Toronto Jazz Festival on July 2. It runs from 3.15 to 6.15 at the TD Stage at Festival Village, and hosts performances from Camilo Restrepo, Garnetta & DagroovMasters, Jim Dan Dee, Marcus Trummer, Shakey Trill, and Tyler Wilson. 

– The lineup for the 2022 Festival of Friends in Hamilton has been announced. The free fest, in Gage Park, runs July 29-31, and Serena Ryder, Monster Truck, and Gord Bamford headline the three nights. Other artists in the all-Canadian lineup include Snotty Nose Rez Kids, The Red Hill Valleys, and George Canyon. More info here

– The Kincardine Scottish Festival at Victoria Park, Kincardine, ON, runs July 1-3. An eclectic lineup includes David Wilcox, Screaming Orphans, The Mudmen, Madison Violet, Shane Cook, highland dancers, and up to 30 Pipebands. Tix here

Industry news

– Boris Brott, a towering figure in the world of classical music, was tragically killed in a hit and run in his Hamilton hometown in April. Hamilton City Council recently voted unanimously to rename the Great Hall in the FirstOntario Concert Hall to honour the late conductor and festival head. The Great Hall is one of two performance spaces at FirstOntario Concert Hall, Hamilton’s largest performing space. Both the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra and the Brott Music Festival– both of which were led by Brott at different points in his career- call the space home. With the motion passed, the exterior signage of the building will now read “The Great Hall – Boris Brott.”

– Singer/songwriter Chad Price has been named the winner of CBC's Toyota Searchlight 2022 contest. The victory brings him a prestigious placement in the Allan Slaight Juno Master Class in Toronto, five days of recording at Studio Bell at the NMC in Calgary, a trip to the 2023 Juno Awards in Edmonton, a Play MPE distribution deal, and a Toyota prize pack of studio time and musical instruments. Read more about Price here. The other finalists are listed here.

– Music Publishers Canada has named the six participants of its Women in the Studio National Accelerator 2022 program, which advances the career development of talented producer-songwriters from across Canada. Participants will gain valuable insights from mentors and industry experts for the duration of the program starting with sessions starting this month through to Dec. 2022. The 2022 participants are 99Makaveli (Makenna Edissi), Angelixa (Stella Lux), Erin Costelo, Grace Chiang, laaain (La-Nai Gabriel), and Ocevnside Clvb (Anastasia Petrova). More info here.

– Mundial Montreal is headed to the Canary Islands for the 5th edition of MAPAS: the performing arts Market of the South Atlantic,  July 4 -9. This trip marks the first visit to this part of the globe for the Mundial Montréal team, and the market will help them connect with the artistic and professional communities of Africa, Latin America and Southern Europe. The mission is part of MM's year-round On the Road export initiatives.

– On June 23, Quebec Premier François Legault made a funding announcement for a new music hall in Montreal. The historic Bibliothèque St-Sulpice on St-Denis St. will be converted into the Maison de la chanson et de la musique du Québec, which will celebrate Quebec music and be run by the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec. Source: Montreal Gazette

– The National Music Centre (NMC) has announced the emerging Indigenous musicians selected to participate in the OhsoTo'Kino Music Incubator program, which will run this summer and culminate in a live showcase on July 29 at Studio Bell and online at amplify.nmc.ca. The list comprises Chuck Copenace, Electric Religious, Melody McArthur, Zoey Pricelys Roy, and Jade Turner. The five selected artists will converge at Studio Bell for five days to learn new skills.

Artists news

– Vancouver singer-songwriter Mauvey released a new single, Curfew, on June 29, taken from a debut album coming in the fall. Curfew was written by Mauvey and co-produced by Mauvey and Luke Targett. July 22: He plays Squamish, BC's Constellation Festival on July 22 and Winchester UK fest Boomtown on Aug. 12. Streaming links here

– Toronto jazz vocalist/songwriter Ori Dagan just won Best Music Video at the Vancouver Independent Film Festival for the clip for his song Viruses, taken from his all-original current album Click Right Here.

– Toronto horns & grooves quintet The Heavyweights Brass Band are currently funking it up on a western tour, with remaining shows in Trail, BC (June 30), Calgary (July 1), and Edmonton (July 2). More details here, and here's the group's current single, Fake It (out on Slammin Media).

– A Celebration of Life for Big Rude Jake (Jacob Hiebert) will take place on July 24 at 3 pm at Laidlaw United Church, Ottawa St. North, Hamilton. A postponed benefit concert for Hiebert's family, Jakefest West, is now set for Sept. 11 at Stonewall's in Hamilton - add info linke stonewalls benefit. Read the FYI obituary of Hiebert here

– Toronto roots singer/songwriter Julian Taylor recently basked in the widespread critical acclaim greeting his most recent album The Ridge, but he's not resting on his laurels. He recently announced that a new full-length, Beyond the Reservoir, will come out on Oct. 14, preceded by new single Seeds. A press release informs that this song "was inspired by a text that Taylor received from his cousin the morning after it was announced that 215 uncovered remains of buried Indigenous children had been discovered at a former residential school in Kamloops, BC."  Taylor has four Ontario shows in July. Dates here

– Internationally acclaimed and Juno-winning Montreal jazz singer Ranee Lee is now making her debut as a visual artist. Her first ever art exhibition will be held at the BBAM! Gallery (the creation of music biz notable Ralph Alfonso). This is an art show with a twist, in that, all the paintings are up for silent auction. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Canadian Cancer Society. The exhibition/auction runs from June 29 to July 13, and Lee will attend an event at the gallery on July 2 (5-9 pm) to talk about her art and sign copies of her new CD, Because You Loved Me. Leehas a Montreal Jazz Festival concert, July 9, at Ludger-Duvernay Hall on St Laurent. 

– Kliffs is the Berlin-based duo of two Canadians: Mark Bérubé and Kristina Koropecki. The pair has just released a new single, Undertow, one dealing with the aftermath of a loved one’s suicide. It is exclusively available on their Bandcamp page for two months, with 100% of all sales going to the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention, for purchases in Canada. Check Kliffs tour dates here.