The annual Toronto Independent Music Awards aka TIMA was held at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto on Friday, July 23rd. Daniela Oliva (pictured) who is presently studying entertainment law in California, founded the awards in 2004 at the young age of 17. Her purpose was to showcase deserving independent artists, providing them with an opportunity to take their careers to the next level. The interesting thing about these awards is that they are judged strictly on the strength of the music, rather than the artist

I’ve already let one cat out of the bag, so might as well whet your appetites a bit more… We have our annual Home Recording feature dropping in the September/October 2010 issue of Canadian Musician, and we’ve rounded up a KILLER list of Canadian engineers, producers, songwriters, and artists to give us their takes on Home Recording and how to use it to your advantage. This year, we’ll have a focus on the pre-production process – what it entails, its importance, and more. I already told you we have Gavin Brown’s input, but also spoke with GGGarth Richardson, Tawgs Salter, and a few others, so it should be quite insightful and informative. Be sure to grab your copy in September…

I had the chance to speak with Canadian producer extraordinaire Gavin Brown on Friday. After we’d taken care of business, we started shooting the breeze about mutual friends and so on. That weekend, I was actually going to Nova Scotia’s Annapolis valley for a cottage weekend with, among other fine folks, Paul Lamb. Paul, along with Cory Tetford, used to front an east coast rock band called Crush. They were nominated for a Juno and took home 7 ECMAs over the years. Anyhow, Paul and his new band Wreckhouse delivered a killer performance on Sunday night at Middleton, NS’ Heart Of The Valley festival, making me go back and check out some old Crush tunes. Great rock band with some pretty big hits. What’s more? The cottage where we stayed is where Paul and Great Big Sea’s Sean McCann wrote the song "Good People" from the latest GBS record. Small world…

So the night before last, I had the opportunity to drive up to the north side of PEI to meet with one of the Island music scene’s most beloved group of sons. Having toured across Canada and the US with a wide-ranging variety of acts, from Cake to the Spill Canvas and even hopping onto a few Vans Warped Tour dates, these guys know the ins and outs of being a Canadian touring band. Anyhow, the band was jamming out some new tunes in Colin (guitar)’s garage in Grand Tracadie, and I had the pleasure of bearing witness to the creation of a Paper Lions tune. Is it good? Really good. Anyhow, the band will be filming a video for the first single from their upcoming Trophies EP, and when that’s done, Canadian Musician will have an exclusive video interview with the boys about the business. For now, check out www.paperlions.com.

…we salute you in our July/August 2010 issue of Canadian Musician. Check out our annual bass feature for interviews with folks like Melissa Auf der Maur (pictured, and I think she’s wearing clothes behind there, so worry not!), Ric Fierabracci, Roberto Occhipinti, Brian from A Wilhelm Scream, and a few others. We’re discussing all-things thick-string, with a focus on laying down the rhythmic foundation in the studio. Grab a copy where other fine print titles are sold!

Looks like Bravo! (quickly becoming one of my favourite television stations) is airing Jonathan Demme’s live concert DVD/documentary Neil Young: Heart Of Gold tonight at 8 pm EST. I’ll be watching, and if you’re fan, you should too. Hell, even if you’re not a fan, you should probably still check it out.

Our July/August issue of Canadian Musician is about to drop, with plenty of goodies for a wide variety of musicians and music fans. We’ve got a cover story on the magnificent Johnny Reid, who’s profile seems to be growing exponentially each day…

We also have a feature on the resurgence of vinyl with input from Dine Alone Records’ Joel Carriere, MMS’ Lindsay Gillespie, The Flatliners, Hannah Georgas, and Sam Bradley. We also have an IT overview from CM‘s favourite computer guru, Eric Price.

Look for it in your mailbox or on your local newsstand.

CM extends best wishes to Montreal’s Maxime Morin, aka DJ Champion, for his upcoming battle with lymphoma blood cancer. Hopefully he’s back to commanding dance floors across the nation in no time…