Music News Digest, Nov. 15, 2019

By Kerry Doole

Andy Kim's holiday charity concert has long been a seasonal highlight in Toronto. The just-announced lineup for this year's 15th edition (Dec. 4 at Queen Elizabeth Theatre) sees imports Tracey Ullman and Jake Clemons join Canadian faves Ron Sexsmith, Sloan, Jane Siberry, Lorraine Segato (Parachute Club), Bif Naked, Men Without Hats, Crash Test Dummies, and Jessica Mitchell with Tim Hicks. Proceeds go to CAMH's Gifts of Light Program. Tix here 

On Dec. 21, Kim presents another Xmas concert, at The Burlington Performing Arts Centre, co-hosted with Sean Cullen. Performers there include Sexsmith, Bif Naked, Tom Cochrane and Sarah Slean. Proceeds to BPAC’s Golden Ticket program, which provides complementary access to professional entertainment and artistic workshops to underserved schools and students. Tix here.

– The nominees for the 2019 Saskatchewan Music Awards have been announced by SaskMusic. Leading the list are Close Talker and Ponteix, with three noms apiece. A full nominees list here. The awards event is on Nov. 28 at The Broadway Theatre, Saskatoon, in conjunction with the Very Prairie Music Summit (Nov. 29-Dec. 1). Performers for the evening include respectfulchild, Yellowsky, 3 Moonjask, and Jay & Jo, with more TBA. Tix here

– The Decades: The Toronto Sound of the ‘60’s, ‘70s and ‘80s concert showcase at Toronto's Phoenix Concert Theatre on Nov. 21 has announced the addition of Tom Cochrane, Tom Wilson and Jully Black to the lineup. The evening includes special presentations for six songs being inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, from Parachute Club, A Foot in Coldwater, Klaatu, Mandala, Kensington Market, and Maestro Fresh Wes (members of those bands wll be on hand). Tix here

– Edmonton Arts Council has named 31 artists and projects who have been awarded a large Artist Project grant (between $5K and $25K), approved through the EAC’s peer assessment process. The list includes Maria Dunn Music, The Prairie States, Nuela Charles, and Electric Religious.

– Presented by the Regina Folk Festival, Winterruption turns 5 in January. Running Jan. 22-26, the fest has announced a formidable lineup of 45 artists that includes  Whitehorse, Begonia, Choir! Choir! Choir!, Weaves, Michael Bernard Fitzgerald ,Good Lovelies, Little Miss Higgins, Hannah Epperson, Marissa Burwell, Ellen Froese, and The Won’ts. Tix on sale here now  

– Platinum-selling roots singer-songwriter and environmental activist Sarah Harmer will release Are You Gone, her first album in a decade, on Feb. 21 via Arts & Crafts. A label press release calls the record "a deeply personal and political collection of songs motivated by the beauty of life, the urgency of the climate crisis, and the question of loss, Sarah called the album a spiritual successor of sorts to her acclaimed 2000 debut, You Were Here."

– Toronto R&B singer Anders plays a free concert for the students and teachers of Etobicoke's York Memorial Collegiate Institute on Nov. 20. In May, a major fire at the school forced relocation to the previously shuttered Scarlett Heights Entrepreneurial Academy. The morale-boosting show will also feature DJ Killa Kells and celebrity choreographer Tabby “Rockstar” Donaldson, and Anders' management team, NST, will also host a pair of panels for students, focusing on working professionally in creative industries. Source: NOW

– Toronto's Indie Week has named the nine finalists for its 2019 Best Music Video Award. The clips will be screened in a room full of international music industry delegates today (Nov. 15) at the Thompson Hotel and anonymously judged. The winner will be announced Nov. 17 at The Mod Club Theatre. 

– Manitoba roots songsmith Del Barber is now out touring in support of his new album, Easy Keeper. On Wednesday, he charmed the audience at Hamilton's Mills Hardware with the new material, plus a superb version of an Ian Tyson classic, Someday Soon. Like Tyson and kindred spirit Corb Lund, Barber is a rancher too. His songs are well-crafted portraits of the everyday folk he encounters, drawn with real empathy. Barber plays Toronto's Dakota tonight (Nov. 15), Ottawa's Club Saw (Nov. 16), and Montreal's Ursa (Nov. 17). Recommended. 

– Hamilton-raised, Toronto-based singer/songwriter Michelle Titian has just released a three song EP, being launched with shows at the Art Gallery of Hamilton tonight (Nov. 15) and at Revolution Studio in Toronto on Nov. 20 (tix here). Titian has also formed the Drive Foundation, a charity seeking to support those battling addiction and mental illness. A documentary profiling Titian's own struggles will screen at the two events. 

– Andrea Kokonis will rise to the role of General Counsel – Head of Legal Services with SOCAN, effective Jan. 1, 2020, as the current head of the legal team, Gilles Daigle, retires. Kokonis has been Associate General Counsel with SOCAN since 2015.

– Today (Nov. 15) is the application deadline for MusicOntario's sixth annual private showcase suite at Folk Alliance International, held in New Orleans, Jan. 22-26. Submit here