Newsletter

CMAO member Chris Jacks would like us all to know about a country music series he is running. Chris and his company Your Show Productions are presenting North of Nashville, showcasing country artists every Sunday night at Lou Dawg’s in downtown Toronto. The cover charge of $5.00 will be split among the artists, and Lou Dawg’s will offer Tennessee’s most famous whiskey, Jack Daniel’s, at $4.50 a shot all night. If that ain’t country, we don’t know what is! If you are interested in playing at one of these events, please contact Chris at: chris.jacks@yourshowproductions.com Details: What: North of Nashville country music series Where: Lou Dawg’s, 589 King St. W., Toronto When: Every Sunday at 8 PM

Hey artists! Got that big radio interview coming up? They asked you to perform live? Probably a little nervous now, huh? As a radio guy, I can tell you we also get a little apprehensive before these interviews, although the more you do them, the less worried you get. My first interview was a doozy! I just landed my first daytime gig doing afternoon drive for a big market station when I was informed that Blackhawk would be dropping by! (For those that don’t know them, google them and stop making me feel old!) Wow! I loved these guys and I was easily more nervous than them because I was, and still am, a huge fan. When they arrived, I just didn’t bother trying to […]

By Stephanie Brooks These days, with so much on the go and the influence of technology in our lives ever-present, the days of mindlessly sitting at home at night after work channel-surfing are (mostly) a thing of the past. There are always other things to do, people to see, music to listen to, work to be done, and distractions to be had. But there are those few shows that you PVR, mark on your calendar, download from iTunes, gather your girlfriends or bring your buddies together for. The kind that no new iPhone app could distract you from. The kind that puts your life on hold for an hour and brings you into the lives and circumstances of its characters. The kind that you never […]

In this first and important Awards year, the CMAO has also established a very special award. The CMAO IMPACT AWARD recognizes an artist, group, industry personality or company/organization that has left an enduring and indelibly positive footprint on the landscape of country music in Ontario. This year’s Impact Award will go to the Canadian Country Music Association, which has celebrated and helped develop the careers of numerous Canadian country artists, including those from Ontario. By creating an annual awards show, the CCMA has placed our domestic artists squarely on the national stage, creating Canadian stars as they go, with its television show ratings often outranking some of its most popular competitors. The CCMA continually raises the bar for our country music industry by annually hosting Country Music […]

On April 9 in Toronto, many of the movers and the shakers in the Canadian country music scene convened on the waterfront of Lake Ontario at the Corus Entertainment building (home of CMT and other media companies) for a CMAO press conference. In the 8th floor atrium, the press and industry met, conversed, nibbled, conducted interviews, gathered sound bites and mingled in a fun, relaxed manner. At 10:30, they were directed into the beautiful 102 seat private theatre for some exciting announcements. CMAO President Sam Arraj welcomed the attendees and told them how excited the CMAO was that Ontario would at last have its own Country Music Awards show. He pointed out that other provinces have had their own provincial organizations in place for years, […]

On June 12, 2011, I was elected to the CMAO Board of Directors. At that time, I had a conversation with several of the Directors about what will be an incredible achievement for the organization; they all stated that putting together an award show to show off the incredible talent in Ontario would be a great achievement, but it was something that could realistically be accomplished in 4 years, as the organization was in the start-up phase. It’s now May 2013, and in a few weeks on May 27, 2013, the CMAO will be hosting its first Awards to show to celebrate Ontario country music. The ability to make the awards show a reality in a two year time span clearly shows you how much […]

For fans that are planning to attend the CMAO Awards show at The Markham Theatre, Markham on May 27th, Hilton Markham Suites is offering CMAO Members a Special Hotel Rate of $125.00 To reserve your booking: By Phone: 1-800-668-8800. Press 1. Provide group code: CMAO By group webpage: http://www.hilton.com

Time Sensitive: Send Submissions To The Diamonds In The Rough Showcase Stage At Country Music Week In Edmonton. Deadline is May 15th, 2013 In case you didn’t go to the CCMA’s Country Music Week event in Regina last year, a new opportunity was created there for artists to showcase. Angie Morris hosted a stage event called “Diamonds In the Rough” at a popular bar area in the Radisson Hotel. It was a wonderful opportunity for many artists to showcase during the week. Alberta’s Michaela Clarke was surprised and thrilled to play to all of Eric Church’s crew among folks who came to see her set. Eric’s guitar tech even checked her guitar for her before going on stage. The showcase was a success on many […]

Canadian bluegrass band the Dixie Flyers were honoured at the Ninth Annual Jack Richardson Awards (JRMAs) Sunday, Apr. 14 at the London Music Hall in downtown London. Formed in 1974, London’s Dixie Flyers were inducted into the JRMA Hall of Fame after an impressive career that includes nine recordings on Boot, Stony Plain and their own Flat-top label. The Flyers’ alumni list reads like a who’s who of the Canadian music scene: “I think over the 37 years, the band has consisted of only about 20 different members” said JRMA steering committee member Darin Addison. “Even though the band is not active now and everyone in the band is getting older, I think it’s the right time to recognize the Dixie Flyers.” Co-founders Bert Baumbach […]