Canadian Music Week 2011 - Recap

(With Lillix @ CRMA's)

Wow! Been so busy I can't even think! Finally got some time to sit down and recapture the week's festivities for you.

Friday I played at The Canadian Radio Music Awards held at the Royal York Hotel. I was fortunate to be nominated in two categories (Hot AC and CHR)...However, no win for me this year...though I'm happy to have been a part of the experience! My heart started to race a bit as they were announcing the winners. Big congratulations to all the winners! Canada is really thriving with great music and wonderful artistry. At the awards show...I bumped into the girls from Lillix (who are not only stylish and extremely rock&roll, they are very friendly and charming). Melissa Ethridge presented an award and apparently through word of mouth, she dug our performance (bonus!)

(Performing @ CRMA's)

Later on that night...(Thanks to VP Jeff Craib), I had the pleasure of performing at The Gladstone Hotel as part of the SL Feldman Showcase. Amazing talent there! Artist's include Sierra Noble http://www.sierranoble.ca/, Current Swell http://currentswell.com/, and Hello Beautiful http://www.myspace.com/hellobeautifulspace

During our set, the room was packed with music lovers, industry peeps and party goers. We played with high energy and I must have sweat out all of my bodily fluids, it was so damn hot on that stage. The band I worked with was incredible (Thanks Topher, Dave, Russ & Lindsay for an amazing time)

(Performing @ The Gladstone Hotel)

Afterwards...once adrenaline levelled out...we set out on shmoozing / mingling mode and worked the room. Within the crowd there were the agents from the Feldman family, the Hipjoint Crew, Shawn Marino of Universal, Ron Lopata of Warner, Mark Jowett of Nettwerk and tonnes more!

By the time our drink tickets ran out was about the time Ron Sexsmith stepped on stage as a surprise special guest performer. As a huge Sexsmith fan myself, I was totally blown away – more so, in a state of shock by being in the same room as the creator of music that really moves me. He is totally peculiar and alluring, which makes him a great songwriter.

Since it was a packed room with loud talkers...I felt people needed to appreciate his intimate, acoustic performance much more than they did (And that's probably why he deliberately popped the PA by unplugging his guitar patch after only four songs...and walked offstage.) That told me something about him. He is Rock&Roll:)

(With Ron Sexsmith in the green room)

Now that my showcases are over, I'm spending the rest of my trip doing co-writes with three different writers. Yesterday I wrote with Marissa from Disband. She is an extremely talented young lady and very clever songwriter. We wrote a pop/rock smasher in the same vein as Paramore & Pink.

Today I was with Dan Davidson – Since we are both from out of town and checking out of our hotels on the same day...we had no place to write! Our last minute spontaneous plan consisted of us stealthily sneaking around The Royal York to find an empty room we could jam in. Mission accomplished.

Tomorrow I write with Shawn Desman – Gonna be fun!

S. Lang reporting from (still freezing) Toronto....Over and OUT!

xo