Canadian Musician Newsletter
November 2011

The 19th annual edition of the Halifax Pop Explosion, which ran October 18-22, 2011, has officially wrapped, and the festival has reported that 2011 boasted its biggest attendance numbers to date.

This year’s lineup was very well-rounded and featured a number of well-known international acts as well as a slew of current Canadian headliners including Stars, Braids, Timber Timbre, The Rural Alberta Advantage, Dan Mangan, Chixdiggit, Fucked Up, Chad VanGaalen, Library Voices, Ohbijou, Rich Aucoin, Skratch Bastid, and many others. Shows were hosted at venues across the city’s downtown core, centred around the Citadel Hotel, the official host hotel for the event.

“The Halifax Pop Explosion showcased over 180 artists this year, thereby shining the collective spot light on the Canadian music scene and the exciting talent that is being produced here,” comments HPX Executive Director Jonny Stevens. ”We had record attendance figures for 2011 on both the festival and the #POPular Conference which educates up and coming artists on the new music industry.”

For more information, visit www.halifaxpopexplosion.com.

Canadian Musician is bringing Live Music Producer Tom Jackson to Toronto for a workshop on Sunday, December 4, 2011. The one-time only, one-day seminar will run from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the OISE Auditorium, 252 Bloor St. W. in Toronto on the new date.

Jackson’s coaching has helped shape the live shows of artists including Taylor Swift, Jars of Clay, Jordin Sparks, Divine Brown, and countless others. Helping artists “create memorable moments,” Jackson has presented at a number of high-profile music events around the world, including initiatives like CMW, ECMA Week, and more.

For more information, contact Norris-Whitney Communications: 905-641-3471, , canadianmusician.com/tomjackson.

The Radio Star National Talent Search (formerly the Radio Star National Songwriting Competition) is currently underway. Through December 16, 2011, emerging Canadian artists can submit their songs at www.radiostar.ca for a chance to win $10,000 in cash plus thousands of dollars in music equipment, services, and more.

For more than 18 years, the competition has been providing an opportunity to Canadian artists to be discovered by radio programmers, music publishers, industry executives, and audiences alike across Canada. The contest expands this year to include artists in all genres while giving the public the opportunity to listen to and cast a vote for every single entry. The top 50 bands will then move on to the finals, where the Grand Prize winner will take the title of Radio Star and collect their rewards.

Interested participants should visit www.radiostar.ca for complete details, including a full list of prizes up for grabs.

Planet Waves has launched the NS Mini Headstock Tuner, a tuner that can be clipped to the back of a guitar headstock.

The NS Mini Headstock Tuner uses the instrument’s vibration as its input and provides accurate tuning without the interference of ambient room noise. The tuning software features a piezo sensor system for increased vibration sensitivity and more accurate note registration. Designed for loud and dark stages, the multicolour, backlit display shows the note name in red to indicate when the note is out of tune and green to reveal when the note is in tune.

For more information, contact D’Addario Canada: 905-889-0116, FAX 905-889-8998, , www.daddariocanada.com.

Latin Percussion has begun shipping its Bongo Cajon, which applies the concepts of cajon design to the higher-pitched acoustic range of bongo drums.

The Bongo Cajon features an all-wood construction with textured sides contoured to fit on a player’s lap or to be held between the knees in the traditional bongo playing position. The open-bottomed, twin-chambered shell produces two complementary high and low pitches that deliver a convincing “pop” for a bongo-esque sound.

The Bongo Cajon is outfitted with a carry handle cut into the side of the drum and comes with a drawstring nylon bag.

For more information, contact B&J Music Ltd.: 905-896-3001, FAX 905-896-4554, , www.bjmusic.ca.