Bryan Adams onstage at Kitchener’s Big Music Fest 2014

Canadian Musician‘s Bart Nowak (www.nowakimages.com) was onsite in Kitchener, ON for the 2014 edition of Big Music Fest. This year’s festival featured monster headliners like Bryan Adams, Aerosmith, Styx, Slash, Big Wreck, Moist, and more. Check below for some great shots of this year’s performers, and congratulations to The Modern Hearts for winning the 2014 Breaking Bands contest. The band has earned a spot on the main stage for Big Music Fest 2015, and one can only guess as to who else will be featured on that stage…

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Canada’s pre-eminent musicologist and authority in rock music, Alan Cross, is returning to Toronto’s radio station 102.1 the Edge in a -yet-to-be-announced role. Details regarding Cross’s new role are expected in early fall.

“Alan Cross is synonymous with alternative music – he’s credible, authentic and true to the Edge brand,” said Dave Farough, General Manager, Corus Radio Toronto. “Having Alan back represents the next phase of the station’s evolution – returning to its music-based roots with intelligent conversation.”

“I spent a long time at the Edge — 1986 through 2011 — so it feels good to be back in the fold,” said Alan Cross. “A lot of people will say the Edge is my natural home, so let’s pick up where we left off, shall we?”

Alan Cross is also a consultant for Indie 88, a competitor of The Edge in Toronto’s alternative music radio market.

DMC Canada has rescheduled its Regional Vancouver DMC DJ Competition for Aug. 28, 2014. The event will take place on the Fortune Sound Club at 147 East Pender St. in Vancouver.

World renowned DJ/producer DJ Revolution will be on-hand to showcase and also judge the competition.

As well, the Toronto Regional DMC DJ Competition will take place on Thursday, July 24 at the Supermarket in Toronto at 268 Augusta Ave.

For the battles, DJs are permitted to use the supplied Rane 62,  Rane 61, or Rane TTM 57 mixer along with the supplied Technics 1200 / 1210 turntables. DJs must bring their own headphones, slipmats, needles, records, laptops, cords, control vinyl and/or laptop stands etc.

The winners of the regional competitions will go on to compete at the 2014 DMC Canada finals.

For more information, contact DMC Canada: canada@dmcworld.com, www.dmcdjchamps.com.

Toronto’s July Talk with a top-shelf showing at Bluesfest

All good things must come to an end… For the past week-plus, Samantha Everts, founder of YouRockRed, has been covering RBC Bluesfest in Ottawa for Canadian Musician. Fresh from the fest’s final weekend, Sam has some great shots of the likes of Blondie, July Talk, Childish Gambino, and others in this post. Check some of the previous posts as well for more great shots blurbs about some of this year’s performer. Can’t wait for 2015…

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Bryan Adams at Big Music Fest in Kitchener by Bart Nowak, NowakImages.com

It was a busy weekend for Canadian Musician staff and contributors. Bart Nowak was out at Kitchener’s Big Music Fest, snapping great shots of the likes of Moist, Big Wreck, Bryan Adams, and many more. Meanwhile, Sam Everts was on the ground in Ottawa at RBC Bluesfest, and I, Andrew, was in Quebec City for the tail end of the Quebec City Summer Festival.

We’re scurrying to sort through all of the shots and content and will have some treats for your eyes up in no time. Stay tuned!

Tokyo Police Club frontman Dave Monks

Samantha Everts, founder of YouRockRed, is on the ground at RBC Bluesfest in Ottawa for Canadian Musician. Check out some of her shots from this week’s shows, and check back during and after the weekend, as we’ll have a chance to take in a lot more music – Canadians especially. Click below for some great shots of Tokyo Police Club, Brody Dalle, and the almighty Queens of the Stone Age.

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St. Vincent at RBC Bluesfest 2014

Samantha Everts, founder of YouRockRed, is on the ground at RBC Bluesfest in Ottawa for Canadian Musician. Here’s a photostream of her weekend adventures on site at one of the country’s top-billed summer festivals.

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Sara Quin of Tegan and Sara at Bluesfest 2014

Samantha Everts, founder of YouRockRed, is on the ground at RBC Bluesfest in Ottawa for Canadian Musician. She’ll be posting show reviews and (great) photos throughout the festival’s run, so check back often for the latest from one of the country’s largest and most hyped music festivals.

20 is a great age for partying in Ottawa. You’ve hit 19, you don’t need a fake ID anymore to go clubbing in Hull, and you damn well know where to catch good live music. To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Mark Monahan’s Bluesfest has delivered its biggest lineup yet with Lady Gaga, Cyprus Hill, and tonight’s headliner, Tegan and Sara, representing just a small sample of the talent out for the 10-day music festival lauded by Billboard as one of the best North America has to offer.

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Canadian Musician contributor David McPherson took in parts of the 20th edition of North by Northeast (NXNE) during its run last week and offered up a brief review of what we saw. I can only imagine how great that Outlaws & Gunslingers show would have been…

Whitehorse onstage at the Cameron House with special guests

The little music fest that grew and grew turned 20 this year. Leading up to the festival, some critiqued NXNE for “selling out” to major sponsors and branding entire venues such as The Budweiser House at The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern.

Despite the proliferation of corporate money, for this music lover, NXNE – two decades on – remains all about the songs. It’s about discovering new bands and songwriters; it’s about rediscovering some of your favourites; And, it’s about letting the music seep into your soul and sweating out all the small stuff that clouds our brains daily.
Here are a few of my highlights:

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