Canadian Musician dropped by the Mod Club in Toronto on Aug. 15 for the 18^th annual Honey Jam Artist Showcase. Needless to say, the 20-strong list of young female artists from all over Canada had something for everyone. From the hip-hop of Little T (who is only 14 years old!) and Lola Bunz to the self-penned folk of Cape Breton, NS’s Lauren Marchand and country  styling of Megan Rose, the night showed the unbelievable breadth of Canada’s female talent.

Honey Jam Founder and Phemphat Entertinament President Ebonnie Rowe told the crowd, “This group of young women as been the most enthusiastic, most involved, unbelievable group that we’ve ever, ever had. All the Honey Jam alums are very special but there was something about this particular collaboration of girls and I don’t know what it is. They have so much energy, so much dedication, and so much appreciation for what Honey Jam has done.”

Rowe asked the participants to write to her and share what their experience was like and Rowe chose to read of those comments, stating, “During this process the girls and I have become great friends and I thank you for this. We always remind each other that we are all soul sisters and we all support each other through everything. Not only through music-related situations, but because of Honey Jam I have meant plenty of girls that I have grown to realize will always have my back and I will always have theirs.  I’ve never really had a real support team before so I thank Honey Jam for that.  Thank you for surrounding me with a group of beautiful, talented, kind ladies that I have grown to love… the Honey Jam artists are indeed a family I had no idea that this is what would happen.”

It was a touching sentiment and one that showed the power of shared music. But this night was about the performers and performances and the diversity in the crowd and on the stage showed the music has no cultural borders. Hip-hop fans enthusiastically cheering for folk singers and vice versa. It was great to see.

While Honey Jam is not a contest but a showcase of talent, there were some prizes given out. For her efforts promoting Honey Jam and the great character she showed taking another very young artist under her wing, Domanique Grant won a prize pack that included a copy of Music Directory Canada (courtesy of Canadian Musician), cosmetic products, CDs, and tickets to see Maroon 5. As well, the Honey Jam Hookup prize pack, which included $5,000 for Yamaha equipment, went to Phoenix Pagliacci.

There were also two big prizes involving outstanding performance opportunities. The first prize, the chance to perform at Canada’s Walk of Fame’s Emerging Artist stage in September went to Jordan Alexander and Jessica Wilson. The second big prize of the night, the opportunity to travel to and perform in Barbados as part of Honey Jam Barbados, went to jazz performer Megan Rose.

The night’s events were hosted by Much Music VJ Lauren Toyota. Proceeds from this year’s event are going to the YWCA to help fund its programs for women and girls.

For more information on Honey Jam, go to www.honeyjam.com.     

The range of “hidden sounds” the guitar can produce is incredibly vast. In this video, guitarist, clinician, and author Jeff Gunn shares a lesson on “Exploring Percussion on Guitar,” based on the third installment of his series, Hidden Sounds: Discover Your Own Method on Guitar, out now via Mayfair Music.

This time out, Jeff shows guitarists how they can create percussion and accompany themselves on guitar, either with a drummer or without.

After taking up the guitar at the age of 14, Jeff has drawn inspiration from the full spectrum of musical genres including rock, classical, jazz, Eastern European, electronic, reggae, calypso, Thai, Brazilian, and African music. While completing his BFA in Music and English, along with his BEd at York University in Toronto, Jeff had the privilege of studying under such Canadian greats as Lorne Lofsky, Phil Dwyer, and Mike Murley.

During this period, Jeff played the Toronto circuit and beyond in rock bands, jazz quartets and duets, Big Bands, solo performances, and fusion groups, opening for such Canadian acts as Treble Charger and serving as the guitarist in Bulgarian fusion group Afrodisiac.

He currently performs with internationally-celebrated hip-hop artist Emmanuel Jal. For more on Jeff, visit: http://jeffgunn.ca.