Newsletter

Well the dust has settled, the smoke has cleared, and heart rates have returned to normal after the 2nd Annual CMAO Awards Presentation held at the Flato Markham Theatre on Monday, May 26. It was an electric night, as some of the stars arrived in vintage autos (along with the General Lee from the TV show, “The Dukes of Hazzard”), with a waiting crowd on hand to greet them. When the house lights dimmed, host Jason McCoy took over and showed why he is in such demand as a performer and host – always completely comfortable, loose and spontaneous, as he commanded the assembled crowd. Between Jason and Tillsonburg Country 107.3’s Randy Owen, they introduced a myriad of assembled performers and presenters to an enthusiastic […]

by Patrice Whiffen This month, our feature video from Patrice Whiffen at Country Music Junkies profiles Canadian country music duo, The Lovelocks! Toronto natives Ali Raney and Zoe Neuman talk about their debut EP release party, and their reaction to landing in the #2 spot on iTunes after just one day! They describe The Lovelocks’ sound, along with the two year journey that led them to their self-titled debut EP release. Check out the exclusive interview here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9UTvSJDluI About Patrice: To Patrice Whiffen, country music is a lifestyle. As the appropriately deemed, “Country Music Junkie,” she strives to share her passion for country music with the world. As a radio broadcaster with an inside view of the world of country music, Patrice currently works with […]

by Peter Linseman The first installment of the DemoRama LIVE series came to a glorious conclusion at the “all superlatives in” 2nd annual 2014 CMAO Award Show! You can’t find a bigger climax than that! Grand Prize Winners Grace Wall and Jonny Vee truly earned their VIP CMAO Award Show tickets. They were well celebrated at the VIP CMAO Reception, and had their names announced during the award ceremonies – all of this in front of God…I mean Gordon Lightfoot! For the past 8 months leading up to the award show, the CMAO travelled from the kick-off event in Toronto, to Hamilton, Barrie, Tillsonburg, Peterborough and Belleville. Two winners from each town, picked by panels of industry experts, showcased their talents at the series finale […]

Dear members: I can’t believe that we are days away from executing our second annual awards show on May 26th. We wouldn’t have come this far without the hard work and passion exhibited by the CMAO’s Board of Directors and our volunteers. Our sponsors have been generous and extremely supportive. Our member artists have also been very supportive. It takes a community to make this show happen and that community has rallied for a second year. I’m grateful for the dedication of the many individuals and organizations. The Board of Directors has been hard at work ensuring that the CMAO continues to evolve into a sustainable organization that will have a deep and long-lasting impact on Ontario’s country music scene. I’m absolutely exhilarated to announce […]

Now, true journalism purposefully removes the writer’s feelings from the subject to get a clear, uninvolved view of how things are. In writing about this month’s subject, I can’t get there. I met Brian Allen at a stage in my life where I was seeking direction and role models. He became one, although he had no idea at the time. In the late ’60’s and early ’70’s I was nuts about bands. I’d go to every high school dance I could get into. I’d watch Crowbar tear up the stage at Lorne Park; Alice Cooper at Brampton Centennial; Magic Bubble, Papa Grey, Abernathy Shagnaster, Choker, Mandala. I used to go see Rush when they were a Led Zeppelin cover band – the early, heady days […]

 by Stephanie Brooks  Country music is glowing this time of year, with various awards shows highlighting the genre and putting the industry on the main stage. For music professionals, artists, singers, songwriters, musicians and fans, it’s an exciting time of year before the summer outdoor festival season begins. Nashville lights up with glitter and glam for another star-studded series of events that honour the best the business has to offer, June 5-8 for the CMA Festival. This annual event promises the country music world four full days of concerts, meet-and-greets, and events around town. The star-studded line-up this year features acts like Brad Paisley, Chris Young, Eric Church, Hunter Hayes, Tim McGraw, The Band Perry and Little Big Town – the latter of which introduces […]

Songwriter Spotlight: Dave Woods interviews Tim Taylor Tim Taylor started his professional music career playing the Ontario bar circuit in the late seventies. In the eighties, he formed an award-winning duo with Anita Perras. The nineties saw his relocation to Nashville to focus on songwriting. The result is his massive “Cavalcade of Hits” song catalogue, which includes cuts by many of Canada’s top country recording artists. The songs include singles by Jason McCoy, Aaron Pritchett, Gil Grand, Steve Fox & Beverley Mahood, The Good Brothers, Thomas Wade, Duane Steele, and Jay Semko. Those singles and many others have placed on the charts and won industry awards. Tim writes regularly with established and up-and-coming artists, including Ontario’s Elyse Saunders. Elyse’s brand new country single “Just Like […]

Has it been almost a year already? Here we go again – the SECOND Annual (feels really good to type that) CMAO Awards Show! As we were striking the set from last year’s show, the theatre manager approached us and basically insisted that we return… and with the euphoria still hanging in the air, how could we refuse? Within minutes of the house lights coming up, Slaight Music committed to being our title sponsor again for 2014. Plus, as a bonus we couldn’t have predicted, there was a blizzard of glowing posts and photos dropped on social media for almost a month following the show. A sold-out crowd of 520 happy and loud country fans joined us last year and we at the CMAO were […]

Excerpt #9 from “Winning The Music Game” by Brian Allen Co-writing is one of the best ways to exponentially expand your creative skills. Much like many writers, my first songs were written in solitude. And like the child in grade school, I did not want anyone to see what I was making until it was finished. I had an ingrained fear that the song would lose its way if someone else was involved. This very subjective perspective continued well into my professional career. It seemed that every time I decided to relent and allow someone into the process, I felt like the concept was regressing rather than progressing. Whether that was my immaturity or not, I will never know… but I do know it was […]