Canadian Musician articles from November 2005

Canadian Musician archives from November 2005

Do you hear what I hear?(feed BACK)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2005... Dear CM, I have been a musician for over 20 years now and have managed to damage my ears through many nights of extremely loud shows. I suffer from tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and hyperacusis (extreme sensitivity). I have tried...

The human touch.(feed BACK)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2005... Dear CM, Good day. As usual, your current issue on "Home Recording", hits the nail right on the head again. Cool. The emphasis on equipment, the workspace, and studio ergonomics is quite good. However, I have this feeling that the mad rush...

Jonas' number one fan.(feed BACK)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2005... Dear CM, It is so nice to have such a good magazine on Canadian musicians. I think you should check out Jonas. He is from Montreal, PQ, and is an amazing singer and performer. If you had the chance to visit his Web site,...

Indie Contact Newsletter.(Indie Insider)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... Need to get in touch with resources to promote your music? The Indie Contact Newsletter is a great resource for musicians who are unsigned. Each month there are 50 new listings of places to send your music, and all genres of music are covered...

DualDisc format hits market.(Indie Insider)
November 1, 2005... DualDisc is a technology that combines CD and DVD content onto one double-sided disc. You've probably seen them for sale at your local CD retailer: a normal CD is priced lower than DualDisc CDs. This will allow you as an artist to include video...

CANtunes.com.(Indie Insider)
November 1, 2005... In November of 2004, Stewart Reynolds, of the band Brittlestar, was looking for a way to make his band's debut release available online. He didn't have any problem finding online resources for the US, but here in Canada he couldn't find one...

Metalworks Institute becomes first Pro School.(Changes)
November 1, 2005... Metalworks Institute of Sound and Music Production has recently become Digidesign's first Pro School partner for Eastern Canada. One- and two-year diploma programs will be offered by Metalworks on all levels of Digidesign's authorized...

Brady Drums launches new Web site.(Changes)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... Brady Drums has announced that they have updated their Web site to be more interactive and user friendly. Users can enjoy updated features such as a comprehensive and interactive News section, the option to purchase Brady merchandise...

Warner Music Canada signs new artist.(Changes)(Tomi Swick )(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... Warner Music Canada has recently announced that Tomi Swick has joined the label's domestic roster. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Swick is from Hamilton, ON and is said to have a soulful voice and the ability to write memorable melodies. His...

Trebas holds open house and welcomes new program head.(Changes)(Trebas Institute)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... Trebas Institute had recently held three open house events in Toronto, ON. The new students who were lucky enough to see the studio and the institute will also get to learn from Trebas' new head of their Film and Television Production and...

MapleMusic signs Degrassi star.(Changes)(Andrea Lewis )(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... MapleMusic Recordings has recently announced the addition of Andrea Lewis to the label's all-Canadian family. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Born in Toronto, ON, Lewis sets a pop/R & B/old-school soul sound on her debut album Float Away that...

Jeff Healey signs with Stony Plain Records.(Changes)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... Guitarist and trumpet player, Jeff Healey, has recently signed an international recording contract with Stony Plain Records, based in Edmonton, AB. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Set to release an album in early 2006, Healey and his band, The...

Pearl River launches new Web site.(Changes)(Pearl River Piano Group America Ltd)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... Pearl River Piano Group America Ltd. has recently released a new Web site to better serve North American customers. Pearl River Piano Group America Ltd. is the North American division of the Guangzhou, China-based Pearl River Piano Group...

Call for increased arts funding from Canada Council.(Changes)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... Chair of the Canada Council for the Arts, Karen Kain, says that the budget of Canada's national arts funding agency has not kept up with the growth that has happened over the past 10 years. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Kain was quoted in a...

Events.(Calendar)
November 1, 2005... Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) Columbus, OH November 2-5, 2005 (580) 353-1455, FAX (580) 353-1456 percarts@pas.org, www.pasic.org The College Music Society Annual Meeting Quebec City, PQ ...

Yamaha BBT 500H.(ROAD test)
November 1, 2005... The Yamaha BBT 500H bass amplifier is the world's first all-digital bass amp. Squeezed into a simple, 9 lb. box is a digital preamp which incorporates amp modelling technology, 5-band frequency-variable EQ, parametric EQ and a compressor,...

Samson CO1U microphone.(ROAD test)(Omnimedia Inc.)
November 1, 2005... Every once in a while someone comes up with something that makes you say: "Why didn't I think of that?" Well, full marks to the folks at Samson for a really good product at a fantastic price! What? A reviewer giving away the punchline at the...

Genz-Benz Shenandoah Pro.(ROAD test)
November 1, 2005... A professional musician himself, Jeff Genzler, knew what was needed when he created the Genz Benz company with his wife Cathy 20 years ago; tone, exceptional build quality and performance with features and innovations that address real-world...

It's a dirty job.(guitar)
November 1, 2005... I'm writing this article as a history lesson to some, a rant to others, and a stroll down memory lane for the rest of you. I have been playing guitar full-time since 1969, and now I have the opportunity to recollect and share my viewpoints...

Sound choices.(keyboards)
November 1, 2005... Regardless of the instrument you play, having a knack for choosing the right sound for the job helps to make your work stand out. But for a keyboard player, the sound palette is so diverse that the job can be tricky. Sometimes a great sound is...

Surviving to Actually play the gig.(bass)
November 1, 2005... A few weeks ago, I found myself playing in a dark, dingy club on Vancouver Island. The dressing room or "green" room was little more than a storage room, where the only thing green was a smelly old couch and the meat on the deli tray. The...

Drummer: musician or gladiator?(percussion)
November 1, 2005... Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce to you in this corner: Drummer X: A well-rounded versatile musical drummer with credits of over 100 recordings, extensive touring experiences, worked with the best from rock to jazz, an incredible dynamic...

Arabic concepts for improvisation.(woodwinds)
November 1, 2005... As the 21st century progresses, jazz musicians still find themselves looking outside the music much like many of the past greats, spending time studying Indian and African music to inform their growth. Thankfully, we here in Canada have many...

Choosing a trumpet.(brass)
November 1, 2005... Trumpet players have a wide variety of great instruments to choose from, more than at any other time in history. With the advent of computer design and advances in manufacturing techniques, it is rare to find a bad horn these days. When it...

Rudimentary my dear Watson: setting levels for digital recording can take more thinking ... than you might think.(digital music)
November 1, 2005... Every once in a while I get a little carried away with trying to think up some technical gem; this time, for a change, I thought it might be nice to take things back to basics--real basics--but not necessarily real simple. Sure, it's good to...

Voice repair II: you don't have anything to Lose Except Your Voice.(vocals)
November 1, 2005... In this issue's column I would like to talk a little a bit about what I feel it takes for someone to be a true professional singer. After all, what exactly is it that makes a singer a professional? Is it purely the fact that they are making...

The world according to good: a candid, state-of-the-music-industry conversation with Matthew Good.(Interview)(Cover story)
November 1, 2005... arguably one of the most outspoken of Canada's recording artists. Matt Good rarely, if ever, shies away from saying what he thinks, or mixing it up with someone who's gotten on his bad side. As Universal Music's Dave Porter points out in the...

Moka's desire: ex-Swollen Members rapper/singer pops back into the mainstream.
November 1, 2005... I went solo to Swollen, solo to Swollen to solo," says Moka Only, recapping his music career thus far. The rapper and singer's latest solo album, The Desired Effect, is his most commercial sounding to date, picking up where his soulful...

Tricky Woo.
November 1, 2005... from the opening train whistle on First Blush, Tricky Woo makes it clear you're about to go for a bit of a ride. Released August 30th, First Blush is the Montreal-based hard rock outfit's fifth effort and their first since the band temporarily...

Percussion 2005: unconventional drummers.(Interview)
November 1, 2005... "Aren't all drummers unconventional?" you're probably thinking. Drummers are considered, at least by their musical peers, to be a "little left of centre" anyway, but this year's ensemble of drummers is made up of artists that bring something...

Seeking inspiration: CM brings you an interview with Rob Thomas who is currently taking a break from his group Matchbox Twenty to support his solo record, Something To Be.(writing)(Interview)
November 1, 2005... Over the past few years, has your personal growth/development affected your songwriting? The weirdest thing has been that they've been kind of tied directly to each other. Me growing as a performer, growing as a songwriter, growing as a...

Anatomy of a killer demo, Part 1: pre-production.(recording)
November 1, 2005... This is part one of a three-part series on what goes into making a killer demo. When we think of what is involved in recording a demo, much has changed since the introduction of musician-friendly technology and many of those changes have...

You gain some, you lose some.(live sound)
November 1, 2005... It's very easy when using compression on vocals to think that you're getting some free gain along the way. "If I compress this vocal a little more and then turn up the gain, I'll have a louder vocal... right? Without those pesky too quiet and...

Revenge of the nerds: ringtones take over the industry.(business)
November 1, 2005... In the early 1950s, with the advent of free television, the major Hollywood movie studios were afraid that television would signal the end of movie theatregoing audiences and that the feature film would be rendered obsolete. By the mid-1950s,...

Digidesign Pro Tools 7.(hot Gear)(Product/service evaluation)
November 1, 2005... Manufacturer of digital audio production systems, Digidesign, has recently announced an upgrade to its Pro Tools software, Pro Tools 7. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This new digital audio workstation has many new features that expand...

Yamaha AW1600.(hot Gear)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... Yamaha Canada has recently released the AW1600.This compact unit takes you from inspiration to completion of your CD. The AW1600 offers eight combo XLR/TRS input jacks with switchable phantom power for all connectors. It can record 16 tracks of...

Epiphone Texan.(hot Gear)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... Epiphone has recently released a limited number of Texan acoustic guitars mirroring Sir Paul McCartney's original. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] McCartney chose to record "Yesterday" with his 1964 Epiphone Texan, 40 years later, that model...

Dean Guitars Edge 1 Quilt Top.(hot Gear)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... Inspired by beauty, Dean Guitars has recently released a new addition to the Dean Edge Bass line with the Edge 1 Quilt Top. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This 4-string bass has a body that's styled and contoured for comfort. Its Basswood body...

Meinl Soundcaster Custom Series.(hot Gear)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... Meinl cymbals has recently introduced the newest version of the Soundcaster cymbals, the Soundcaster Custom Series. While keeping the same features as the original series, the Soundcaster Custom Series provides a more cutting, glassy and warm...

Rico three-reed pack.(hot Gear)
November 1, 2005... Rico reeds has recently announced that their three-reed packs for B[TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] clarinet and alto saxophone will be shipping worldwide as of January 1, 2006. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The perfect amount for rental...

DigiTech Black-13 Artist Series pedal.(hot Gear)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... DigiTech has recently released a new Artist Series pedal, the Scott Ian Black-13. The pedal recreates seven of Ian's metal tones by using DigiTech's production modelling. This technology recreates every aspect of the signal chain to create...

Roland TD-3KV.(hot Gear)
November 1, 2005... Roland Corporation has recently released an expansion configuration for its entry-level V-drums kit, the Roland TD-3KV. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This compact, lightweight and foldable expanded kit can be easily transported. It comes with...

Kiss Me Deadly.(SHOWCase)(Deadly)(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... Who: Kiss Me Deadly Where: Montreal What: deadly Contact: www.alien8recordings.com On the band's sophomore album, Misty Medley, the breathy-to-shrill-voiced Emily Elizabeth does her thing over electronic swirls of guitar-pop,...

5th Projekt.(SHOWCase)(Haunting)(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... Who: 5th Projekt Where: Toronto and surrounding area What: haunting Contact: Organik Rekords PO Box 59009, 2238 Dundas St. W., Toronto, Ontario M6R 3B5 play@5thprojekt.com, www.5thprojekt.com The band's bio needed deciphering...

Catlow.(SHOWCase)(Kiss the World Hello)(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... Who: Catlow Where: Vancouver What: kiss the world hello Contact: Boompa, 408-207 W. Hastings St., Vancouver, BC, V6B 1H7 www.boompa.ca Natasha Thirsk returns with a buck-the-trends solo project under the moniker Catlow,...