It’s #MusicMonday as they call it on social media which can only mean it’s time for another instalment of Sound Check. This week’s blog has a special Canadian theme to it for a few reasons. Firstly this post marks the first post that will appear on www.nxew.ca, secondly a huge free music festival announced a stellar Canadian line-up on the weekend and thirdly one of the most famous astronauts in recent history, Canadian Commander Chris Hadfield leaves the International Space Station after almost 5 months in orbit.
Music and festivals are a big part of Canadian culture. Perhaps it’s the long drawn out winters that we suffer through every year or perhaps it’s just our way of life. The music that defines us isn’t just country or rock and roll it’s all genres. A great example of this is the annual Ottawa Bluesfest, many look at the line-up of this event and say that many of the acts aren’t blues at all. Naturally they would be right but I think that Ottawa Bluesfest is the festival that caters perfectly to the Canadian music appetite. There is no question that Bluesfest is a festival that truly has something for everyone. www.ottawabluesfest.ca
Another huge Canadian festival announced their summer line-up over the past weekend. The 34th annual Sound of Music festival is the largest free music festival in Canada features 90 acts across 10 performance areas. Their past line-ups read like a who’s who of Canadian entertainment with names like Sarah McLachlan, Spirit of the West, Carly Rae Jepsen, 54-40, The Stampeders, The Jim Cuddy Band and more. The 2013 event which takes place in Burlington on father’s day weekend (June 7, 13-16) features headliners 54-40, April Wine, Big Wreck, Danny Fernandes, Dehli 2 Dublin, Desire – International U2 Tribute, Doc Walker, Down With Webster, Harry Manx, Hey Brother, Honeymoon Suite, Jully Black, Lee Harvey Osmond, Lights, Platinum Blonde, Raine Maida (of Our Lady Peace), Royal Wood, Small Town Pistols, Stereo Kid, Suzie Sunshine, The 45s, The Grapes of Wrath and USS. For more information on this free event be sure to check out www.soundofmusic.ca
Also coming up in June are three incredible Jazz Festivals; Kingston Jazz Festival, 1000 Islands Jazz & Blues Festival and the TD Ottawa Jazz Festival. Each festival features a variety of entertainers both internationally and nationally renowned. I’ll be bringing my Sound Check blog to each of the three festivals and will have highlights from each and previews of some of the acts in coming editions of this blog.
At the end of every edition of the Weekly Sound Check I like to feature an artist. This week’s feature is an artist, a pilot, a scientist and one heck of a Canadian. As mentioned earlier today the world’s most famous modern day astronaut, Col. Chris Hadfield, will be returning home from the International Space Station. Not only was Hadfield the first Canadian to command the ISS he took the world by storm with his daily photo tweets and musical performances. As he passed the command of the ISS yesterday he shared a music video that he had recorded while in space. Its guys like Chris Hadfield that make me proud to be Canadian. Let’s wish him a safe journey back home. Here is the first ever music video shot in space, “Space Oddity” by Col. Chris Hadfield. https://www.facebook.com/AstronautChrisHadfield
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