Canadian Music Week
Announces Dates for the
Virtual Jim Beam National Talent Search Tour
September 26 – October 3, 2020
Featuring 40 Bands from Toronto, Halifax, Ottawa, Montreal,
Edmonton, Vancouver, Calgary, and Saskatoon
Canadian Music Week (CMW) is pleased to announce the Jim Beam National Talent Search Tour will take place virtually September 26 – October 3, 2020, with 30-minute episodes spotlighting five bands from eight Canadian cities. Hosted by Josie Dye of Indie88, each of the resulting regional webisodes will be streamed via Indies.ca and cmw.net/music plus Vimeo, Facebook Live and YouTube as well as partnering radio stations across the country.
CMW and the Jim Beam National Talent Search Tour has provided 40 of Canada’s best new bands with their own virtual stage, ownership of their own recordings, and starring roles in this musical event that could rewrite the way homegrown independent talent is discovered. Each episode will focus on one city and feature interviews and performances from five local bands. Fans are invited to vote for their favourite band to play live at the Jim Beam INDIES in 2021 at www.indies.ca.
The 40 bands have already began recording the Jim Beam National Talent Search episodes during socially-distanced sessions, which will be edited so each indie artist or group will sound their best and shine online. All 40 artists will also receive a master tape of the multi-track sound recording and the accompanying multi-camera video to be used in any way they wish to promote themselves.
“What, in previous years, would have been a chance for one band to play live at the Jim Beam INDIES in Toronto for a crowd of about 1000, will now be a career calling-card for 40 bands representing priceless international exposure that will serve these artists for years to come,” said Canadian Music Week president Neill Dixon. “CMW’s national talent search webcast presents a way to preserve an invaluable talent initiative that was already underway when the pandemic shut us all down.”
Unfortunately, on the eve of the first showcase, live gatherings were banned across Canada and CMW itself was eventually cancelled for the duration of 2020 due to COVID-19. Canadian Music Week has used this challenging landscape as an opportunity to find new ways of supporting independent artists and industry by providing a safe, online platform for artists to showcase, and for career development with the Virtual Voices (Online Webinar Series).
For the last 37 years, Canadian Music Week is Canada’s leading annual entertainment event dedicated to the expression and growth of the country’s music, media and entertainment industries. Combining multifaceted information-intensive conferences; a trade exposition; awards shows and the nation’s largest new music festival which spans five nights of performances, with hundreds of showcasing bands at more than 40 live music venues in downtown Toronto.
Virtual Jim Beam National Talent Search Tour
September 26 – October 3, 2020
Streaming Nightly at 7pm ET
FREE at www.indies.ca
September 26 – Vancouver
featuring Redwoods / Small Town Artillery / Raincity / Gnarfunkel / Maddie King
September 27 – Calgary
featuring Jon Martin and Lovers / Justine Giles / ROOKS / Youngbloods / Krissy Feniak
September 28 – Edmonton
featuring Rebecca Lappa / Kane Ingocnito / Jacquie Daniels and the Jokers / RIELL / Shawnee
September 29 – Saskatoon
featuring Afterglow / Aurora Bella / Alexandra Beck /
Phoenix and the Silvervoodoos Tumbleweeds / Kaye & Co.
September 30 – Toronto
featuring Dustin Bird / VILIVANT / Goodnight, Sunrise / Parasona / Autumn Kings
October 1 – Ottawa
featuring CZN / Paragon Cause / The Tackies / The Wilderness / The Lionlyls
October 2 – Montreal
featuring December Rose / The Day Dreamers / Brittany Kennell /
Patrick Rock / Cowboy Meets Pirate
October 3 – Halifax
featuring The Blue Lane / Elyse Aeryn / Wheeler / The Collective / Carry The Lost
Live streams via Indies.ca and cmw.net/music
plus Vimeo, Facebook Live and YouTube
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