Canadian Musician Newsletter
July 2011

The Polaris Music Prize has officially revealed its short list of 10 Canadian albums vying for the title of best Canadian album of the year as voted by an over 200-strong jury of members of the Canadian media. The shortlisted albums are in the running for the $30,000 prize to be handed out at the Polaris Music Prize Gala, September 19, 2011. The 10 albums on the shortlist are:

• Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
• Austra – Feel It Break
• Braids – Native Speaker
• Destroyer – Kaputt
• Galaxie – Tigre et Diesel
• Hey Rosetta! – Seeds
• Ron Sexsmith – Long Player Late Bloomer
• Colin Stetson – New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges
• Timber Timbre – Creep On Creepin’ On The Weeknd – House Of Balloons

For more information, visit: www.polarismusicprize.ca.

Guitar Workshop Plus has announced that Grammy-winning guitar virtuoso Steve Vai has been added to its lineup of guest artists for the 2011 program. There are three GWP sessions for 2011 – two in Toronto and one in Vancouver – scheduled as follows:

• Toronto, Ontario
• Session 1: July 17–22, 2011
• Session 2: July 24–29, 2011

• Vancouver, BC
• August 7–12, 2011

For more information, visit: www.guitarworkshopplus.com.

Numark has announced the release of the NS6, a professional 4-channel digital DJ controller engineered in partnership with Serato to work with a 4-deck version of Serato ITCH. This controller has a built-in 24-bit, 4-channel mixer and high-resolution touch-activated platters, delivering 3,600 ticks of resolution per rotation.

Additional features include: two mic, four stereo line, and two phono preamp inputs; master stereo XLRs, stereo RCAs, booth stereo RCAs, and headphone (stereo 1/4″ and stereo 1/8″) outputs; 6″ dual-zone touch-sensitive metal wheel with non-conductive rubberized outer ring; 140 total controls (knobs, sliders, buttons, wheels, and switches), and more.

For more information, contact Intellimix Corp.: 514-457-9663, FAX 514-457-0575, salesinfo@intellimix.com, www.intellimix.com.

TRX Cymbal Co. has introduced its Icon Series of cymbals, developed to combine the rich, warm tone of vintage cymbals with the more aggressive performance characteristics required by modern players.

The Icon series is handcrafted in Turkey employing traditional lathing with a polished finish. The Icon Series consists of: 20-23? rides; 13-15? hats; 14-20? thin crashes; 16-21? medium crashes; 18-23? heavy crashes; 12-21? chinas; and 8-12? splashes. TRX Icons also include 14, 16, 18 and 20? Stackers, which are medium-thin vented cymbals that can be used individually for crash effects or placed directly under or on top of other Icons to create a short, trashy sound.

For more information, contact Direct Music Supply: 800-828-1601, sales@directmusicsupply.com, www.directmusicsupply.com.