Newsletter

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!  

Each year, there are thousands of volunteers, sponsors, celebrities and supporters who demonstrate the spirit of humanity through their volunteer work, advocacy initiatives, leadership, media coverage, and philanthropy in communities across Canada. The World Vision Heroes for Children Awards is the NGO’s opportunity to celebrate those Canadians who have a clear heart for children, and have done something extraordinary. Michelle Wright has been awarded as an artist who uses a public voice to lift the needs of children. Michelle was recently given the award at World Vision Canada headquarters in Mississauga during her recent trip to Canada in support of the new 6 part humanitarian video series she released. The video series was filmed in the Dominican Republic and documents Michelle’s emotional journey while visiting […]

The 56th Annual Grammy Awards have come and gone, and we’ve got Canadian winners: Michael Buble took home Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for his “To Be Loved” CD; Quebec’s Jennifer Gasoi walked away with the Grammy for Children’s Album for “Throw A Penny In The Wishing Well”. Chilly Gonzales was nominated as a collaborator with Daft Punk on “Within” in the Album of the Year category and it also won. Many other Canadians were nominated for Grammys but didn’t win: Drake, Robin Thicke, The Weeknd and Mychael Danna, among others. But there was an Ontario Country Artist we were all rooting for – Deric Ruttan – for co-writing Blake Shelton’s Country Song of the Year nomination, “Mine Would Be You”. Deric shared the writing […]

DemoRama LIVE rocked a full house in Tillsonburg on Sun. Feb 2nd at host venue My Bar & Grill. GREAT performances starting off the top when the CMAO’s special guest performer and panelist Rob Kirkham & Neon Rain opened the event with a few originals that are playing on sponsoring radio station Country 107.3 FM. Other panelists included Country 107.3’s Randy Owen, who co-hosted the show with CMAO Director & Music Mentor Productions President, Peter Linseman. Everyone in attendance saw the depth of talent from Tillsonburg and surrounding areas with highlights coming from the “Best Of” DemoRama LIVE Showcase winners Augusta Campoli and Grace Wall; 14 & 15 yr olds who unanimously scored highest marks of the day! The next DemoRama LIVE will be in […]

Dear Members: Happy New Year! Let this New Year be the one where all your dreams come true. 2013 was a very successful year for the CMAO due to the passion and commitment shown by our members and the country music community. I want to thank our members and all our supporters and volunteers. With your continued support, we hope to continue to build on our success and make 2014 an even greater success. Don’t forget that our 2014 awards show submissions are open until February 4, 2014. We have two new awards in 2014: Roots Artist or Group of the Year and Record Producer(s) of the Year. If you haven’t put forward an application, please do so before you miss your chance to get […]

IN THE COUNTRY WITH DAVE WOODS Country music can make us feel empowered. Feel inspired. Feel comforted. Indeed, Country music can make us feel. Some would say it’s the genre’s greatest strength. Look no further than the lyrics of Michelle Wright’s recent single Strong for evidence of this. She’s strong as steel, forged in the fire, fighting through the scared and the tired, set on moving on. Strong enough to bend but never breaking, strong in the face of the battle raging, till all the weak is gone, she’s strong.  Just imagine the many listeners who have embraced this song as an anthem and felt strengthened by its message. I asked several Ontario Country artists (Riki Knox, Tianna Woods, Elyse Saunders, Cory Marquardt & Brea […]

Jane Harbury is one of the top publicists in this country. With a client list that reads like a who’s who in the international music business, Jane has been at her work for more than 40 years. She slaves away for her clients to make sure their latest release, their new video, their award nomination, their story … gets out to the public. Her job … to promote, publicize, and sing the virtues of each client. To do a job like that you have to believe in your clients. As Jane repeatedly states, “They’re not ‘acts’. It’s not ‘product’. It’s artists and music!”.  In fact, Jane feels the best piece of advice she ever got was “Believe in what and who you work with. And […]