Music News Digest, Nov. 29, 2019

By Kerry Doole

Alberta hit country duo High Valley has announced a Live Nation-produced headline tour of western Canada kicking off in May 2020.  Brad and Curtis Rempel will be joined on the road by the Eli Young Band as well as special guests Lindsay Ell and Jade Eagleson. Dates run from May 15 in Abbotsford to May 29 in Brandon. Full itinerary here

— CIMA conducts its second Business and Showcase Mission to AmericanaFest UK in Hackney, London, Jan. 28-30, hosting two nights of Canada House, in partnership with Music PEI, on Jan. 28 and 29 at the Moth Club. The 12 showcasing artists will get the opportunity to perform in front of Americana buyers and industry in the UK.

— Launched in 2018, the biannual Johanna Metcalf Performing Arts Prize benefits impactful artists in Ontario, The announced inaugural winners are Sunny Drake (playwright and theatre creator), Alice Ping Yee Ho (composer and classical pianist), James Rolfe (composer), Santee Smith (multidisciplinary artist), and Maryem Tollar (performer and composer). Each artist will receive $25K, bestowed at a gala event on Dec. 12 at Toronto’s Artscape Daniels Launchpad. 

As per the award, the five winners have selected a protégé to receive an additional $5K to help further their creative work. They include Demetri Petsalaki — Musician (protégé of Maryem Tollar), Roydon Tse — Pianist and Composer (protégé of Alice Ping Yee Ho), and Sophie Dupuis — Composer (protégé of James Rolfe).  Source: Ludwig Van

— A leg injury suffered by Gordon Lightfoot over the summer has forced the postponement of shows in Fredericton, Montreal, and Ottawa this week, and these have been reskedded to April 2020. These performances will take place on April 13 at the Richard J. Currie Centre in Fredericton, April 15 at Algonquin Commons Theatre in Ottawa and April 16 at Théâtre Maisonneuve, Place des Arts in Montreal. Tickets for the November concerts will be honoured for the rescheduled dates, or can be refunded at the point of purchase until Feb. 21. 

— CIMA is offering members a 30% discount on a 3-Day CMW Conference Delegate Pass for next year's event. The Super Early Bird rate deadline is Dec. 15. Contact Sam Rayner at CIMA for details.

— Dine Alone Records HQ in Toronto again opens its doors on Nov. 29 and 30 to commemorate Record Store Day. The label and Moneen celebrate the 20 year anniversary of the band’s debut EP Smaller Chairs For The Early 1900s on vinyl for the first time ever. Other notable items this year include signed vinyl from City and Colour, Mt. Joy, Noah Gundersen, Tim Baker, The Interrupters, The Dirty Nil, Hollerado, Matt Mays and more. Dine Alone will also be selling a handful of test pressings.

— Canadian Music Week (CMW) has scored a real coup in booking Pussy Riot for the band's first ever Toronto show. PR play the opening party at The Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto on May 19. A limited number of Black Friday discounted tickets will be available today (Nov. 29) 10:00 AM EST using the promo code BLACKFRIDAY

— The deadline for public voting for the Maple Blues Awards is Dec. 1 at 11:59 pm Pacific Standard Time. See the nominees here

— The Downtown Yonge BIA in Toronto has partnered with Polaris Music Prize and unveiled a mural commemorating Haviah Mighty, winner of the 2019 Polaris Music Prize.The artwork is featured on a Granby St. building, in the Yonge and College area. The Polaris artwork is the third music mural in the area, close to two permanent murals commemorating the city’s music history. The Polaris mural will change annually over the next five years.

— The Glenn Gould Foundation seeks your help to discover its 13th Glenn Gould Prize Laureate. Until Nov. 30, you can submit a nominee here.