Newsletter

photos by Randy Owen and Jackson Schott The Purple Hill Country Hall, located in Thorndale, just 5 miles east of London, Ontario, hosts an old fashioned Opry Show the first Sunday of every month. The venue is a former auction barn that’s been converted into a cozy, woody, atmospheric performing space with not a bad seat in the house. Everywhere you look, there are antiques and implements covering the walls. It’s the brainchild of George and Anna Taylor. In the past, the venue has featured such treasured performers as Carroll Baker, George Fox, Larry Mercey, Marie Bottrell, The Good Brothers, Paul Weber, Julian Austin, Brooklyn Roebuck and many more Canadian country artists. The dinner and show package always attracts a big crowd and this past […]

The fourth DemoRama LIVE in Barrie was another great success in our exciting series. Singer, songwriters, and artists presented their original music to a packed house at host venue Sticky Fingers Bar and Grill with PA & musical equipment supplied by Music Pro. Our Special Guest Performer & expert panelist was TV star/country pop artist Kate Todd who kicked off the event with her 2 radio singles and new material too. The hosting radio station was the extremely supportive KICX 106 and Program Director & Morning Announcer Jack Latimer was our wise expert panelist indeed. Wellcraft Media Owner Taylor Abram, who also shared a beautiful song with the crowd, was an expert panelist as well. The two “Best Of” DemoRama LIVE Showcase winners from Barrie […]

Dear members: I can say with pride that the CMAO has been working hard to accomplish our mandate. We just finished an incredible Seminar and DemoRama in Barrie Ontario on January 25, 2014 that included these impressive panelists: Michelle Wright, Mike Denney, Aideen O’Brien, Heather Ostertag, Ron Porter and Jack Latimer. In addition, we held another DemoRama LIVE in Tillsonburg, ON, with special guest panelists Rob Kirkham & Neon Rain and Country 107.3′s Randy Owen. I want to thank all the panelists at these events for taking the time out of their busy schedules to help us out, but I want to also thank Brian Allen, Wendell Ferguson and Peter Linseman, who put in many volunteer hours to execute these events – Brian and Wendell for […]

Back near the end of July last year, the CMAO held its annual AGM and elected its board members. One of the two new additions was Amanda Power. And ‘Power’ is a good name for this lady. When she walks in a room she crackles with electricity and enthusiasm. Focused, forceful, determined, yet businesslike, she can be an astute presence at a board meeting… But just as quickly make a joke and fall into easy laughter. Her advice: “Work hard and be nice to people. What goes around, comes around.” Well, it’s sure come around for her. Let’s see how she got here: Amanda, the youngest of two sisters, was born in St. Catharines, Ontario, to a family originally from Corner Brook, Newfoundland. Her father […]

by Stephanie Brooks  You may have heard her catchy singles “With You Whiskey” and “Honey” on Canadian country radio or heard her smooth vocals at one of her live performances across Eastern Ontario. This Ottawa-area talent has come a long way since recording her first album at 15 – and after one listen to her songs, it’s clear she will go far. Read below as Brea shares with the CMAO how she finds inspiration, why she gives back through her music, and what’s in store for her this year. Stephanie Brooks (SB): Congratulations on all your recent successes, especially the popularity of your two latest singles! This must be an exciting time for you. Brea Lawrenson (BL): Thank you! Most recently, “With You Whiskey” has […]

There are some things that just go together well – like beer and country. Sure, we can all come up with a song or two that refers to the popular beverage, but a music industry crash course in a brewery? Huh? On Saturday January 25th, it actually happened. The CMAO held another in its popular Seminar and DemoRama series at the Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery in Barrie, Ontario. The brewery’s very tastefully appointed event room was the scene for a day of inside info from Mike Denney (MDM Recordings), Heather Ostertag (former CEO of Factor and Past President of the CMAO), Aideen O’Brien (Director of Music Publishing and Music Supervision at eOne), Amy Aust (Assistant Program Director and On-Air Personality at KICX 106), Ron Porter […]

Excerpt Number 6 from Winning the Music Game by Brian Allen Here and Now. We tend to think of the relevance of an artist’s appeal as measured by and applied to today’s market, but the position of “now” is the confluence and sum total of yesterday and today. In fact, “now” is quite literally where yesterday and tomorrow meet. We have all heard the term “dated” as applied to describing an artist’s style. It is very difficult to better the stars of yesterday at their own game – we have already seen the best… why would the world need another one? This is one of the more common faults I have seen in failure to be relevant to the market. But, every year we see […]

The old saying states: “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” This can apply to cover songs. Sometimes it’s all about the song and sometimes it’s about honouring the singer who made the song famous. And in most cases it’s not actually imitation per se. The singer may put their own spin on the song to come up with something fresh. Recently, Garth Brooks released a new box set entitled “Blame It All On My Roots: Five Decades of Influences.” The set includes 4 CDs with 11 cover songs each, representing different genres that have influenced the country superstar. One of the CDs is “Country Classics”, which features Garth’s take on Tonight The Bottle Let Me Down, Don’t Close Your Eyes, Jambalaya – and other […]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLBIh_RwT3k This month, our feature video from Patrice Whiffen at Country Music Junkies profiles Lucan, Ontario natives, The River Junction Band. Nominated for a CMAO Award last year, this group is one of the busiest bands in country music, playing over 150 shows a year. The River Junction Band’s high energy shows are packed with country covers, along with a mix of originals, including their singles, “Pickup Truck” and “Farm Boy.” Check out the video interview for more information!