Wow! the ECMAs were an overload to my musical senses and I loved every minute of it! There was such a wide variety of music happening practically every minute from the time I arrived on Thursday night until I reluctantly left Sunday evening. Amazing to see such a gathering of artists in one small space to share their passion with so many. The East Coast sure knows how to celebrate their successes! I experienced more than a few magical musical moments!

I was moved to tears at the Songwriters Circle and totally blown away by the up and coming singer/songwriters that were featured – Dylan Guthro, Breagh MacKinnon, Molly Thomason and Carleton Stone. I discovered that Moncton’s own Lisa Leblanc had the number one song for 4 days running last week – beating out Madonna! Radio Radio electrified the Oxygen Complex on Friday night (pictured below). Jimmy Rankin hosted a Cape Breton party like no other. The Trews played an outdoor FREE show at the Market. Random breakout jams were enjoyed in hotel hallways, lobbys, cafes and courtyards. The city was truly alive with music!

I cannot possibly mention all the musicians/bands I had the chance to see but here are a few highlights:

The Divorcees (pictured below at Tide & Boar for their CD release show) – Their hometown crowd showed their love and the boys did not disappoint! Their energy level was intense and their passion evident in every performance. Their newest release, entitled Four Chapters, is a concept album and they are very proud of their product.

The Rockabilly Rednecks (picture below @ St. James Gate) Just two members of this band when I saw them so I will be tracking down a full band show in the near future. Carey Beck on guitar and vocals with Casey Hade Shalala slapping the heck out of the upright bass!! They played some originals and a couple of Cash covers which got the crowd up dancing – and that was at 3 in the afternoon! I wish it could be like that everyday!

If you aren’t heading to Moncton for the ECMAs you will surely have opportunity to find some great live music right here Freddy!

Monday, April 9th

Tuesday, April 10th

Wednesday, April 11th

Thursday, April 12th

Friday, April 13th

Saturday, April 14

Wednesday, April 4th

Dolan’s Jam
Featuring Mountain Chicken, The Late Night Orchestra
@ Dolan’s Pub

Gravity Strike
(Members of Grand Theft Bus & Slate Pacific)
@ Wilser’s Room (The Capital Complex)
Doors 9:00pm/Show 10:00pm
Free for students or $5

Thursday, April 5th

Jessy Ashfield
Drinks with Dali
@ Beaverbrook Art Gallery
5-7 pm (free admission)

Live Jazz
@ Cedar Tree
7 pm

Dave Beattie
@ Mama’s Pub
8 pm (no cover)

Forty Fingers
@ Dolan’s Pub
10 pm (no cover)

Yukon Blonde/Library Voices
@ The Capital Bar
Doors 9:30pm/Show 10:30pm
$12 in advance or $15 day of show

Last Class Bash
Belle Comedians/Ascot Royals/Pirate Soul
@ The Cellar (SUB @ UNB)
Doors 9:30pm/Show 10:30pm
$12 in advance or $15 day of show

Friday, April 6th

Forty Fingers
@ Dolan’s Pub
10pm

Saturday, April 7th

Said The Whale/Chains of Love/Boxer The Horse/Josh Bravner
@ Charlotte Street Art Centre
oors 6:30pm/Show 7pm
$12 in advance/$15 day of show

Forty Fingers
@ Dolan’s Pub
10pm

Fesitval Season is about to get underway and it won’t settle down until sometime in the fall … are you ready?? The buzz around line-ups and ticket sales has got everyone scrambling to make plans and find the money to purchase the tickets/passes to ensure no good times are missed. A friend of mine has set his sights on attending at least one festival per month between April and September and the only difficulty I can see in this is deciding which festival to attend and ensuring the pocket book can handle it!

Here are the festivals and dates to the best of my knowledge….

ECMAs 2012 (Moncton, NB) – April 11-15, 2012
St Andrews Paddlefest (St. Andrews, NB) – May 3-6, 2012
Maritime CountryFest (Fredericton, NB) – June 7-9, 2012
Stan Rogers Folk Festival (Canso, NS) – June 29 – July 1, 2012
FeelsGood Folly Fest ( Gagetown, NB) – June 29-July 1, 2012
River Jam Fredericton – July 6, 2012
Evolve Festival (Antigonish, NS) – July 20-22, 2012
Nashwaak Music Festival (Nashwaak Bridge, NB) – August 3-5, 2012
SappyFest (Sackville, NB) – August 3-5, 2012
Tay Creek Folk Festival (Tay Creek, NB) – August 10-12, 2012
FredRock Festival (Fredericton, NB) – August 10-11, 2012
Larlee Creek Hullabaloo (Perth-Andover, NB) – August 17-19, 2012
Rogersville Bluegrass Festival (Rogersville, NB) – August 24-26, 2012
Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival – September 11-16, 2012
Shivering Songs (Fredericton, NB) – February 2013

Clearly plenty of options for everyone!!! Happy Festival Going Friends!!

Feel free to send me pictures and/or reviews of any live music event you attend and I’ll try to add it here so that everyone can share in the fun.

It was a full weekend of live music for me and I enjoyed all of it! Feeling quite fortunate to have been entertained by such fine musicians while sharing the musical experience with great friends!

Started out on Thursday night at Mama’s Pub for their acoustic night with Darrell Grant (of Modabo fame). He has been described as being ‘quietly brillant’ and I have to agree. I will be seeking him out again!

I was able to swing by Dolan’s Pub for a set of Mad Mary … wow! Tina Gaudreau has a powerful voice and the band was tight. The dance floor was full and there was more than one person singing along 🙂

Last night, Saturday, I made my way to DJ Purdy’s @ the Delta Hotel to spend EARTH HOUR with Tim Walker by candlelight 🙂 I have been able to catch a few of Tim’s solo shows around town lately and was happy to hear that Grand Theft Bus are busy recording their next album.

My last stop for the night was at the Lunar Rogue to catch Dave Beattie and the Question … there was good energy in the room and the band sounded great. You can also catch Dave every Wednesday night at Dolan’s Pub singing/playing with the Late Night Orchestra. Be sure to ask him for a Neil Young cover – he always nails those!